A triumph of personality, maturity and team spirit. That's how Mattia Croci-Torti described FC Lugano's 1-0 victory away to Basel, a result that confirms the Bianconeri's steady progress. The Ticino-born coach said he was extremely satisfied with his team's performance, as they managed to impose their style of play even in a far from easy environment.
"When you have twelve shots in the second half and they have seven," he explained, "it means you wanted the win more than they did. We played with personality in the first half, we stayed in the game even in the most difficult moments, such as the penalty, and in the second half we created many chances. It's never easy here in Basel, but today we proved we deserved the three points."
A UNITED GROUP
Even more than the result, Croci-Torti wanted to emphasise the collective value of the moment the team is experiencing. "The thing I liked the most," he revealed, "was seeing the bench cheer Saipi's save. This made me realise that we have become a real group, one that knows how to rejoice together and suffer together. Today, we played 97 minutes for each other, like a real team."
The coach had words of great praise for Amir Saipi, who put in a capital performance with his penalty save from Shaqiri and several other decisive interventions. "He went through a difficult period and it wasn't pleasant to leave him out, also because of the relationship we have. But he reacted like a professional, with the body language of someone who wants to help and improve. In the last two games, he has shown that he is back to being the goalkeeper we can count on."
COURAGE, PERSONALITY AND AMBITION
The victory in Basel propels Lugano to the top of the table, but Croci-Torti is looking beyond the numbers. "Lugano must be a team that is not afraid of anyone. I told the lads to play with great personality, with courage, without giving the ball away and with the desire to build. Today I saw concentration and confidence: we played like a team aware of its own worth."
The coach also emphasised the importance of the moment: "We are back on track after a difficult period, but now we must continue on this path. The next few games will tell us how far we can go."
LOOKING TO THE FUTURE
All eyes are already on the restart after the international break. "The break comes at the right time," commented Croci-Torti. "It's a chance to catch our breath a little, but also to work hard. When we return, we have a very important trio of games ahead of us: Thun, St. Gallen and Sion in seven days. We'll have to be ready, with the desire to continue to give our fans something to cheer about."