The 94th-minute winner against Servette earned FC Lugano another three points and brought to a close an evening in which Mattia Croci-Torti particularly highlighted the spirit shown by the team. The bianconeri manager praised his players’ ability to stay in the game right until the end and the decisive contribution that once again came from the substitutes’ bench.
THE STRENGTH OF THE TEAM
Croci-Torti begins by analysing a match in which Lugano grew into the game as the minutes passed, following a first half in which they lacked a bit of spark in one-on-one situations and in their ball circulation: “I liked what I saw from Lugano today from start to finish. In the first half we were a bit slower than usual and struggled to get past our markers, but the game plan also involved speeding up the play in the second half with the players coming off the bench.”
And it is precisely the contribution of the substitutes that gives the manager the greatest satisfaction: “This is the third match in a week won by the players on the bench, following Moncada in Batumi and Beckham in Sion. This shows that the squad believes in themselves right to the end, they have courage, and I’m very pleased.”
AJETI’S IMPACT
Among the standout performers of the evening was, inevitably, Albian Ajeti, who proved decisive on his debut for the bianconeri. Croci-Torti emphasised, above all, the attitude with which the new number 9 has arrived in Lugano: “We need people who want to come here and who are hungry. Albian has shown he has that hunger, and today he demonstrated that he can play effectively in the penalty area.”
His goal on his debut is a promising first sign, whilst the journey towards peak fitness will still take time: “The main concerns are about his physical condition, because he’s never played a full ninety minutes this year. It’s unlikely he’ll be able to play the full ninety straight away in the coming matches, but we’re very pleased to have him with us.”
SOLUTIONS AND CHARACTER
The evening also offered positive signs from other players. Croci-Torti highlighted Grgić’s contribution in the second half whilst reaffirming his confidence in Kendouci, who was substituted at half-time partly due to the burden of his booking: “Grgić is a player who brings rhythm to our game, but I also have complete faith in Kendouci. He’s a player I need to put my trust in and who has something special.”
There were also important words for Behruz Karimov, who started the match despite having had very few training sessions with the team: “He has shown incredible character. It’s something special considering he’s trained so little with his team-mates. I’m truly very happy for him and for the Club, which believed in this lad.”
THE SUPPORT FROM THE ARENA
In the closing stages, with the score still level, the AIL Arena also played a key role. Croci-Torti highlighted the support from the stands and the bond that is forming between the team and the fans: “From the 75th minute onwards, they spurred us on in an incredible way. To have 5,755 spectators at a midweek match means that people believe in this team.”
That enthusiasm finally erupted following Ajeti’s goal: “I don’t remember ever celebrating quite like I did today. I could see everyone was happy, everyone was close together: it was something special.”
FC Lugano thus rounds off a busy week with another victory built on the contribution of the whole squad. The fixture list offers no respite, however: on Sunday, the bianconeri face an away trip to Basel, the next instalment in a campaign that Croci-Torti intends to continue tackling by making the most of the various options at his disposal.
WATCH Croci-Torti’s PRESS CONFERENCE: