The opening night of the Championship Group has handed Lugano a crucial victory. At the Stockhorn Arena, in an electric atmosphere and in front of 10,000 spectators, the Bianconeri beat Thun 1-0 to get off to the best possible start in the decisive phase of the Brack Super League.
In the clash at the Stockhorn Arena, the stakes were sky-high right from the outset. A win would have seen the hosts crowned Swiss champions for the first time in their history, capping off an extraordinary season as newly promoted side. Croci-Torti’s side, for their part, arrived determined to continue their push for European qualification and to face an evening of obvious emotional significance without fear.
MATCH REPORT The
first half was a very evenly balanced affair. Thun adopted a cautious approach, compact in their own half and ready to close down spaces, often leaving the initiative to Lugano. The Bianconeri therefore tried to build patiently, attempting to stretch the Bernese defence without exposing themselves to counter-attacks from a side that was nonetheless aggressive and intense in the challenges.
There were few chances in the first half-hour. The tempo remained high, but both sides struggled to find clear spaces in the final third. The first real chance of the match came in the 29th minute and fell to the bianconeri: Delcroix read Koutsias’s run well and played him in deep; the Greek entered the box and tried to curl it in with his left foot, but the shot went just wide.
Thun only threatened von Ballmoos’s goal towards the end of the half. In the 41st minute, Bamert played an interesting ball across for Imeri, who tried to direct a header towards the bottom corner, but the bianconero goalkeeper was alert to the danger. Two minutes later, Fehr tried his luck from a very tight angle, but once again von Ballmoos was not caught off guard. The teams went into the break at 0-0, at the end of a hard-fought, intense and somewhat tight first half.
ALIOSKI IN THE FINAL MOMENTS
In the second half, the spaces opened up and the game gradually became more open. Lugano came back onto the pitch with greater attacking intent and, as the minutes ticked by, managed to push more and more players into the opposition’s half, giving the impression they were on the verge of scoring.
The first big chance of the second half came in the 61st minute. Steffen took a corner and found Behrens, who had come on a few minutes earlier, in the centre of the box: his header was powerful and well-aimed, but Niklas Steffen pulled off a superb save to tip it wide. It was the first clear sign that Lugano were beginning to press with determination.
Shortly afterwards, in the 65th minute, the bianconeri threatened again. Steffen played the ball to Belhadj in the box; the midfielder cut inside onto his right foot and shot, but failed to get enough dip on the ball. Thun responded in the 68th minute through Rastoder, who did well to create space with a feint and bring the ball onto his left foot, but his curling effort went just wide.
However, it was Lugano who looked the better side at this stage. In the 73rd minute, Behrens worked the ball well in the box and laid it off to Bislimi, who shot first time: the effort was central and Steffen saved. Five minutes later came another huge chance for the Bianconeri. A cross from the right by Steffen and a header from Alioski, who had just come on: the ball flew past the post by a matter of centimetres, with the Bernese side escaping again.
Lugano’s pressure continued and in the 85th minute came the most spectacular chance of the match so far. The move started on the left with Bislimi and developed towards Belhadj, who received the ball in the box just a few metres from goal. His shot looked set to break the deadlock, but Niklas Steffen made a decisive save to keep Thun in the game with another superb stop.
In the closing stages, the home side tried to push forward, aware of the importance of the result and spurred on by the atmosphere at the Stockhorn Arena. In the 87th minute, Matoshi tried a left-footed shot following a corner, but the ball went over the bar. Lugano, however, remained composed, compact and ready to counter-attack.
The turning point came in stoppage time. In the 91st minute, Zanotti led a brilliant counter-attack, taking advantage of Thun’s forward push, and played the ball into the box for Belhadj. The Tunisian midfielder beat Matoshi to the ball and was brought down: a penalty for Lugano. After a tense, drawn-out finale, Alioski steps up to the spot and, in the 97th minute, beats Niklas Steffen by shooting down the middle to score his first league goal.
It was the goal that decided the match and allowed the bianconeri to snatch victory at the Stockhorn Arena in the dying moments, postponing Thun’s celebrations and immediately sending an important message to the Championship Group. For Lugano, it was a victory of character, built on patience, defensive discipline and steady improvement in the second half: three crucial points, secured on one of the most challenging nights of the season, to continue their push for Europe with confidence.
MATCH SHEET
FC THUN – FC LUGANO 0-1
Brack Super League – Matchday 34
25 April 2026 – Stockhorn Arena
Attendance: 10,014
Goals: 97’ pen. Alioski
FC THUN (4-2-2-2): N. Steffen; Bamert, Montolio (4’ Dähler), Bürki, Heule; Kait (73’ Dursun), Bertone; Imeri (61’ Meichtry), Fehr (61’ Matoshi); Rastoder, Ibayi (73’ Labeau).
Substitutes: Spycher, Reichmuth, Rupp, Meichtry, Roth.
Coach: Mauro Lustrinelli.
FC LUGANO (3-4-3): von Ballmoos; Papadopoulos, Mai, Delcroix; Zanotti, Grgić, Bislimi (89’ Pihlström), Cimignani (77’ Alioski); Steffen (89’ Bottani), Koutsias (56’ Behrens), Dos Santos (46’ Belhadj).
Substitutes: Saipi, Alioski, Carbone, Mahou, Kendouci.
Coach: Mattia Croci-Torti.
Referee: Luca Cibelli
Assistant referees: Ilco Jancevski and Matthias Sbrissa
Fourth official: Zrinko Prskalo
VAR and AVAR: Nico Gianforte and Joël Brunner
Yellow cards: Heule (THU), Papadopoulos (LUG), Fehr (THU), Zanotti (LUG), Belhadj (LUG), Bürki (THU), Alioski (LUG).