FC Lugano claimed victory at St. Jakob-Park with a 3-1 win over Basel and continue their perfect start to the Brack Super League season. At the end of the match, Mattia Croci-Torti highlighted, above all, the character, conviction and strength of the squad, who were able to respond to going behind and turn the match around in the second half.
CONVICTION AND CHARACTER
The bianconeri manager began by highlighting the attitude shown by the team throughout the entire ninety minutes: “That’s what you call conviction. The lads believe in themselves and didn’t struggle at all today either. Lugano came here and played a brilliant match, showing character from the first minute right through to the end.”
Croci-Torti links this performance to the team’s determination to stay near the top of the table: “We’re a confident team that knows what it wants. We want to stay ahead of everyone, as high up as possible, and to do that we need the courage to play these matches here in Basel too. In difficult moments, we showed we wanted these three points right to the end: it’s a deserved victory.”
THE STRENGTH OF THE SQUAD
The win comes at the end of another week characterised by a packed schedule. A factor which, according to Croci-Torti, makes the contribution of the entire squad even more important: “We’ve been playing practically every three days since 21 July. The lads are all on top form: in the last week we’ve won three matches with three players who started on the bench.”
In Basel, too, the substitutions made a difference, with Pihlström and Kendouci playing key roles in the move that sealed the 3–1 win: “Pihlström came on, put in a great run and sealed the match alongside Kendouci. Everyone is part of this squad. We were already missing a few too many players – Marques, Alioski, Zanotti and Behrens – but we’ve shown that what matters is the team. That’s why I’m very pleased.”
NOW IT’S YOUNG BOYS
After six wins from their first six matches, the next fixture immediately brings another top-of-the-table clash: on Saturday, Young Boys come to the AIL Arena. Croci-Torti is already looking ahead to the clash with the Bernese side, whilst not losing sight of the balance required over what is still a long season: “We know just how important next week’s match is. These are points that are certainly worth double, but they’re also a message we want to send out to the league. We want to show that Lugano is on top form.”
However, the manager urges the team to maintain the same level of focus even when tougher times come: “Everything’s going well at the moment, but we must stay on our toes even when things get tougher. Let’s try to ride this wave as high as possible, maintain our balance and keep riding it.”
The win in Basel thus cements the bianconeri’s positive run of form, and they can now recharge their batteries ahead of their next important Brack Super League fixture at the AIL Arena.