On matchday seven of the Hoval Promotion League, FC Lugano U21 asserted their dominance at home against their young neighbours from Basel, beating them 3–0 (2–0) at the Al Maglio Sports Centre in Canobbio – their third win of the season and their third consecutive home victory.
For the clash against the Rhineland side, manager Andrea Vitali was once again forced to do without the services of the injured Milad Amirzade and Jason Parente. João Carbone and Gjan Ajdin were instead included in the starting eleven, and together with the rest of their team-mates, they delivered an afternoon of quality, character and determination.
These qualities were evident within the first hour, as the match got off to a flying start. A move down the left flank involving Christian Raffa and Luca Molino (who was forced to leave the pitch early, as early as the tenth minute, due to injury) led to the captain delivering a low, across-goal cross for Bryan Zurmühle, who failed to connect with the ball just a few steps from the Basel goal. Although only a few moments had passed since the kick-off, a goal was already in the air, and it came in the fifth minute from a set-piece following a corner. First, Ajdin passed the ball to Molino, positioned at the edge of the penalty area. Then, number 3 lays the ball off to the playmaker, who sends in a cross which, thanks to its precise trajectory, turns into a shot. It nestles into the net at mid-height, just out of Yanis Emch’s reach, giving the home side a 1–0 lead.
In the twelfth minute, the Rossoblù launched an attack on the counter-attack. Rilind Rushiti’s attempt from the byline forced Ahmadou Ndiaye to stretch to his full height and tip the ball away for a corner. This failed to yield the results Patrik Baumann’s lads had hoped for. Things turned out differently at the other end. A cross from the byline by Ian Tiraboschi was headed back towards Ajdin. The former player skilfully dribbled past an opponent around the twenty-metre mark and unleashed a powerful right-footed shot that flew past Emch despite a touch from the goalkeeper. The contest could have been reignited shortly afterwards, but the potential goal that would have halved the deficit was ruled out following a signal from referee Tobias Wyss.
The match offered no respite, and between the 23rd and 26th minutes, both sides showcased their attacking prowess, coming close to scoring through a right-footed shot by Marco Correia that struck the side netting and a well-timed intervention by Zurmühle to clear a very long clearance from Ndiaye that went just wide. In the closing stages of the first half, the visitors created a few chances, though these failed to alter the score – partly due to the home side’s number 1 making two fine saves, and partly down to a bit of luck when Rushiti struck the post in the fourth minute of stoppage time.
Upon returning from the dressing rooms, the Confederates made a second substitution (ultimately, all the players who started on the bench, with the exception of the reserve goalkeeper, would take to the pitch), increasing the pressure on the team from below the Centine, who were clearly looking for the goal that would bring the match back into contention. It could have come in the 48th minute, but Nathaniel Ogbodu blasted a straightforward shot from close range high over the bar. Even before the hour mark, Ndiaye distinguished himself with two further high-quality saves (a save from Rushiti’s right-footed shot and a diving tip-over from the newly-introduced Yannick Marchand). After a header from Leon White went wide, the 66th minute saw the moment that effectively sealed the match. It all started with a Rhine corner, after which Nicola Gamba tenaciously won the ball back, passing it to Raffa, who in turn played a through ball to Rafael Frizzi. The centre-forward sprinted the length of the half and, with a low right-footed shot, beat Emch, putting his name on the scoresheet to make it three-nil.
In the final twenty minutes, a series of yellow cards – nine in total by the final whistle (including two for Gamba, who was consequently sent off) – characterised the contest. As for chances, we had to wait until the 86th, 88th and 90th minutes. The first two were created by the visitors (Ogbodu missed with his header by a matter of centimetres, whilst Jonas Gerber’s header went just over) and the third and final one by the Lugano side (an excellent dribble by Joakim Migliorati, deflected by Emch).
Nothing else happened in stoppage time, and so the third win of the season was secured. Thanks to this victory – their third in a row at the Centro Sportivo Al Maglio in Canobbio – FC Lugano U21 move up to 9 points, jumping in the table from sixteenth to thirteenth place, drawing level with their opponents on the day, Young Fellows Juventus ZH and Amical Saint-Prex. The next official fixture for Andrea Riva and his team-mates is scheduled for Saturday 19 September 2026. At 3.30 pm, they will face Schaffhausen away – currently fourth in the Hoval Promotion League table and fresh from a 1–1 draw at Brühl in St Gallen.
Before setting off for the banks of the Rhine, manager Andrea Vitali had this to say about the recent joyful ninety minutes: “It was a very positive afternoon, in which we played a brilliant first half. Afterwards, we closed down the spaces a bit more, took fewer risks and scored the third goal on the counter-attack. Everyone did well, particularly the two players who came up from the first team, with Gjan Ajdin scoring a brace and João Carbone putting in a fine performance. But my lads were also very good. Ahmadou Ndiaye? He was always in the right positions and made some solid saves. We’re very pleased for him. What I’m taking home with me is the spirit the team showed in the first forty-five minutes, which they played with great courage. We didn’t need to make up for the defeat at Saint-Prex. We’re on a journey; sometimes things go well for us and sometimes they don’t. Today Basel U21 lost, whilst seven days ago they beat Brühl. Everyone experiences these ups and downs. Let’s enjoy this day and then see what next week has in store for us.”
MATCH REPORT
Hoval Promotion League 2026–2027, Matchday 7
Al Maglio Sports Centre, Canobbio – 350 spectators
FC LUGANO U21 – FC BASEL 1893 U21 3–0 (2–0)
GOALS: 5’ Ajdin 1–0, 13’ Ajdin 2–0, 66’ Frizzi 3–0.
FC LUGANO U21 (3–2–3–2): Ndiaye; Gamba, João Carbone, Molino (10’ Krueziu); Ajdin, Gervasini (87’ Migliorati); Davis; Raffa (87’ Radić), Rüeger; Tiraboschi (62’ Riva), Zurmühle (62’ Frizzi).
Substitutes: Mina, Schipani.
Manager: Andrea Vitali.
FC BASEL 1893 U21 (4-2-3-1): Emch; Okoh (79' Gerber), Kakor (46' Eglin), White (71' Zaidi), Ponik (46' Ismaili); Kamber, Uruejoma; Correia (71’ Hansal), Kuentz (43’ Marchand), Rushiti; Ogbodu.
Substitutes: Pecora.
Manager: Patrik Baumann.
REFEREE: Tobias Wyss.
ASSISTANT REFEREES: Michael Gilli and Samuel Ringeisen.
BOOKED: 21' João Carbone, 30' Rüeger, 35' Gervasini, 40' Raffa, 45' +3' Zurmühle, 70' Correia, 72' Kamber, 73' Gamba, 85' Gamba.
SENT OFF: 85' Gamba.
Men's U21September 13, 2026