This is FC Lugano’s second European fixture and their first away match in the League Phase of the UEFA Conference League; following their opening-day victory against Red Star, they now face Getafe CF, a side from Spain’s La Liga. At the Coliseum, in front of 6,365 spectators – including around 600 who had travelled from Ticino – the bianconeri were set to take on an opponent with international experience, on a night that took an unpredictable turn from the very first minutes.
A COLD SHOWER AND A REACTION
The match got off to the worst possible start for Lugano, who found themselves behind after just 70 seconds. A back pass from Grgić to Mai was intercepted by Azón, who shot immediately from the edge of the box, catching von Ballmoos off guard. The bianconeri’s response, however, was immediate: barely a minute later, Dos Santos found space on the left, cut inside and crossed the ball into the box, where Albian Ajeti chest-trapped it from close range to make it 1–1.
It was a frantic start, with chances coming thick and fast. In the 5th minute, Azón came close to scoring again with a volley following a corner, but von Ballmoos saved it. Two minutes later, it was Lugano’s turn to complete the comeback: Ajeti was played in deep, reached the ball and laid it back into the centre of the box, where Yanis Cimignani arrived at the far post to make it 2–1. Three goals in the first seven minutes, with the bianconeri managing to turn their early deficit around immediately.
Mattia Croci-Torti’s side continued to pose a threat and found their third goal in the 26th minute. Bislimi played a long ball to Moncada, who used his pace down the wing to deliver a cross into the centre of the box: Ajeti met it and fired a right-footed shot into the corner, scoring his second of the match to make it 3–1.
Getafe tried to respond in the 31st minute, when Andrés García got past Delcroix on the right and crossed for Azón, whose deflection at the near post went just wide. Lugano, however, continued to find space and even came close to a fourth goal as the half drew to a close. In the 45th minute, Zanotti won the ball back in a forward position and played it to Ajeti, who cut into the box from the left and fired a shot across goal, only to be denied by Soria.
The half thus ended 3–1 to Lugano, who had been highly effective in attack during the first half and, above all, had reacted immediately after conceding the opening goal.
TWO MORE GOALS IN THE SECOND HALF
The second half got off to another bianconero start. In the 50th minute, Zanotti won the ball back on the right flank, accelerated and played a cut-back cross towards the centre of the box. Moncada let the ball run through with a dummy, and Bislimi got on the end of it, firing the ball under the crossbar to make it 4–1.
Getafe, who made four attacking substitutions at half-time, gradually increased the pressure in search of a comeback. In the 65th minute, Mojica found space on the left and delivered a cross for the newly-introduced Satriano, who dived in with a header from the centre of the box, sending the ball just wide. Three minutes later, another move down the same flank led to Ünal laying the ball off for Serrano, whose shot from inside the box grazed the post.
The Spaniards kept pressing and, in the 74th minute, managed to pull one back. Following a set-piece, Mojica crossed from the left and Satriano met the ball with a header at the near post. Von Ballmoos parried, but the ball fell to Borja Mayoral, who scored from close range to make it 4–2.
The goal gave the home side further impetus, and they continued to press forward. In the 76th minute, Ünal came close to scoring a third with a header from the centre of the box that went narrowly wide, whilst in the 79th minute, Gudelj tried his luck with a powerful long-range effort, only to be denied by von Ballmoos.
Lugano thus went through a difficult spell, forced to defend against a Getafe side that stepped up their attacking intensity and created several chances. The bianconeri, however, managed to withstand the opposition’s pressure, maintaining their two-goal lead right through to stoppage time.
In the 92nd minute, the moment that finally sealed the match arrived. Valou made a mistake in build-up play and Kevin Behrens won the ball back in the opposition’s final third, cut into the box and beat Soria, setting the final score at 5–2.
A hugely valuable victory for FC Lugano, who were able to bounce back from a difficult start, build a significant lead and defend it in the second half against a top-class side. A triumph that rightfully goes down in the club’s European history: for the first time, the bianconeri have scored five goals in a single match during the League Phase of a UEFA competition, achieving this feat against a prestigious opponent from one of Europe’s top five leagues.
The win at Getafe therefore sees Lugano climb to six points after two matchdays in the UEFA Conference League, providing a night to remember for the approximately 600 Ticino supporters in the stands.
For Croci-Torti’s side, however, the fixture list offers no respite: they are back in action as early as Sunday, once again away from home, at FC Thun in the Brack Super League.
MATCH REPORT
GETAFE CF – FC LUGANO 2–5
UEFA Conference League – Group Stage, Matchday 2
22 October 2026 – Coliseum, Getafe
Attendance: 6,365
Goalscorers: 2’ Azón, 3’ Ajeti, 7’ Cimignani, 26’ Ajeti, 50’ Bislimi, 74’ B. Mayoral, 90’+2 Behrens.
GETAFE CF (4-2-3-1): Soria; Femenía, Abqar (46’ Terrats), Valou, Davinchi (46’ Mojica); Djené, Serrano; García (46’ Satriano), Mayoral, Risco (46’ Gudelj); Azón (66’ Ünal).
Substitutes: Letáček, Ferrer, Sazonov, Boselli, Martín.
Manager: José Bordalás.
FC LUGANO (3-4-2-1): von Ballmoos; Papadopoulos, Mai, Delcroix; Zanotti (75’ Karimov), Bislimi, Grgić, Cimignani (59’ Marques); Moncada (59’ Pihlström), Dos Santos (75’ Alioski); Ajeti (66’ Behrens).
Substitutes: Gebhardt, Mina, Kelvin, Kendouci, B. Castro.
Manager: Mattia Croci-Torti.
REFEREE: Attila Karaoğlan
ASSISTANT REFEREES: Ceyhun Sesigüzel and Murat Altan
FOURTH OFFICIAL: Mehmet Türkmen
VAR and AVAR: Onur Özütoprak and Erkan Engin
Booked: Cimignani (LUG), Bislimi (LUG), Mayoral (GET), Moncada (LUG), Mai (LUG), Zanotti (LUG).