The ever-fierce local derby between Lugano U21 and Paradiso ended in a draw. The 1-1 scoreline at the final whistle blown by referee Maurizio Londino is a fair result.
For this midweek fixture, manager Andrea Vitali was able to call upon the services of Elias Pihlström and, for this reason, altered his usual starting line-up, bringing in the Swedish centre-forward alongside David Piffero, with Jason Parente in support. Otherwise, apart from the return of Ilija Maslarov to the squad and Diego Mina to the starting line-up, the players on the pitch were the same as in recent matches.
Under the pleasant late-afternoon sun, the match began at a rather slow pace. The first chance on goal came in the seventh minute, with a low cross from Ezequiel Schelotto to Tommaso Centinaro, whose ‘on-the-move shot’ failed to find the target. Having weathered that scare, the young bianconeri take control of proceedings. First, in the 13th minute, Gjan Ajdin fires a right-footed shot from the edge of the box. Then, shortly afterwards, it is Milad Amirzade’s turn to try his luck. Once again, his effort goes wide.
In the 21st minute, a move by Yuri Peverelli ends with an assist for Pihlström, who beats the defender and shoots towards Nicolò Abazi, who is quick to react and deny the 19-year-old Nordic player a goal. In quick succession, a header from Rron Krueziu, a curling left-footed effort from Peverelli and a shot from Parente all come to nothing. It is in the 37th minute that the crowd at Pian Scairolo are treated to a real treat. The credit goes to the Scandinavian teenager from Degerfors, who wins the ball back, approaches the edge of the box, takes aim and opens the scoring with a spectacular right-footed strike into the far corner. If the score remains 0-1 at half-time, it is also thanks to Mina, who makes a decisive, prodigious save from Schelotto, played through by Koffi Ouattara.
The numerous close encounters of this period meant that, right from the start of the second half, fatigue began to set in for the bianconeri. As time went on, this caused Yassin Sbai and his teammates to drop deeper, allowing the Biancoverdi to gain a slight advantage. Despite this, the visitors threatened Abazi’s goal on two occasions: a header from Piffero went wide, and a promising run by the newly introduced Rafael Frizzi saw his back-pass go uncollected by his teammates.
At this point, with the half now underway, the home side step up the pressure, only to find Mina as the final line of defence. The goalkeeper brilliantly parries a left-footed shot from Michel De Jesus, before Maslarov makes a crucial block against Schelotto. Another former player, Giovanni D'Agostino, then tries his luck, doing well to beat Aleksandar Radić to the ball following Damiano Plisko’s cross, but his finish is off target.
All this sets the scene for what happens in the 72nd minute. Tommaso Centinaro races down the wing with the ball at his feet and crosses into the centre of the box, where Angelo Carpani rises unmarked to head home from close range, levelling the score at 1-1. The bianconeri, whose energy levels were steadily waning, pushed forward with a sustained attack, culminating in a central right-footed shot from Christian Raffa. In the final ten minutes of play – and particularly in the 81st and 83rd minutes – Ouattara sent two shivers down the opponents’ spines, first hitting the crossbar spectacularly and then seeing Mina make a miraculous save. After that, a combination between Raffa and Frizzi ended with the latter firing over with his right foot, whilst the final chance of the match fell to Sbai who, played in by Amirzade, burst forward and unleashed a powerful left-footed shot that struck the side netting.
As stated earlier, the draw is a fair result. With this point secured, Lugano U21 move up to 33 points, thereby retaining twelfth place. The fixture list now presents the young bianconeri with a home fixture. On Sunday 19 April 2026 at 4.00 pm, at the Maglio in Canobbio, they will face the Young Boys U21 side.
At the end of all this excitement, the manager of Lugano’s second team, Andrea Vitali, had this to say: ‘We could perhaps have caused them more trouble in the first half, when we were the better side. Honestly, we had a few lucky moments. But we have to bear in mind that since the away trip to Bulle, the lads have played four matches in thirteen days and the fatigue was evident. At this stage of the season, the draw is certainly a good result. Elias Pihlström? He scored a brilliant goal. And he gave us a huge helping hand in taking the lead. We can only be pleased when he comes to our aid. Ball control? We struggled, even though we fought hard, failing to get our game going. We’re happy with the point, because the first half could have ended differently, but the second half could have gone either way too.”
MATCH REPORT
Hoval Promotion League, Matchday 27
Pian Scairolo Ground, Paradiso – 350 spectators
FC PARADISO – FC LUGANO U21 1:1 (0:1)
GOALS: 37’ Pihlström 0-1, 72’ Carpani 1-1.
FC PARADISO (4-3-2-1): Abazi; Plisko, Sylaj, Miranda, Benacquista; Centinaro, Ouattara, Carpani (83' Cellamare); Schelotto, Bollati (46' De Jesus); D'Agostino.
Substitutes: Assui, Bejenaru, Morandi, Aiello, D'Aprile.
Manager: Andrea Agostinelli.
FC LUGANO U21 (3-4-1-2): Mina; Krueziu, Chiesa, Radić; Peverelli, Amirzade, Ajdin (64' Maslarov), Sbai; Parente (64' Raffa); Piffero (55' Frizzi), Pihlström (81' Tiraboschi).
Substitutes: Ndiaye, Gecaj, Puddu.
Manager: Andrea Vitali.
REFEREE: Maurizio Londino.
ASSISTANTS: Denys Greder and Anastasios Katsikis.
BOOKINGS: 27' Miranda, 30' Parente, 70' Sbai, 82' Carpani, 87' Maslarov, 90' +2' Tiraboschi
Men's U21April 16, 2026