FC Lugano Femminile’s run in the AXA Women’s Cup has come to an end in the round of 32. The Bianconeri were powerless against Basel’s overwhelming dominance, as the visitors triumphed at the Centro Sportivo Al Maglio in Canobbio with a telling scoreline of 0–8 (0–5).
The match, already a daunting prospect in itself, got off to a bad start for the home side, as the visitors opened the scoring after just three minutes through Una Rankić, who didn’t hesitate to strike first-time from an unstoppable Jacqueline Hand’s cut-back cross. In this instance, the visitors were aided by poor marking on the left flank by Michelle Unternährer. Barely 180 seconds had passed when the incident occurred that could have changed the course of the match. Melissa Colombo played a long ball through to Mathilda Andreoli – who had started her run on the edge of an offside position – who was brought down by Lena Göppel with a classic last-ditch tackle. A straight red card followed, leaving the home side with a numerical advantage for practically the entire match. The difference in class, despite being ten against eleven, is glaringly obvious. This is true of their physicality and tactical approach, as well as their technical ability. In short, for the remainder of the match, it does not seem at all as though the Swiss side are playing with one player fewer.
As a result, scoring chances rained down on the Basel end. Whilst Emilia Soiron shot over from close range and Martina Gallesio blocked an attempt by Hand, Alisa Arthur was quickest to capitalise on Giorgia Zanaboni’s unintentional and unfortunate deflection to double the lead in the seventeenth minute. Before the third goal – a superb right-footed strike into the top corner by Rankić following a one-two with Hand – Hand herself came close to scoring with a diagonal shot that went just wide. It took seven minutes for the score to go from 0–3 to 0–4 – just enough time for Hand to celebrate her own goal. She could have scored a second within the next minute, but the ball went wide. Subsequently, Gallesio made two important saves, one from a powerful shot by Arthur and the other from a strike by Coumba Sow. The Lugano goalkeeper was forced to concede the fifth Swiss-German goal following a move initiated and finished with class by Krystyna Flis.
After returning from the changing rooms, the Sottocenerine tried to trouble the opposition defence, but Andreoli’s attempt following a lay-off from Josipa Dalić was deflected for a corner. Drawing on their strength, the Rossoblù capitalised on the class of Swiss international Sow to close out the first set without conceding a goal. Another excellent one-two between Lea Eisenring and Rankić allowed the latter to go one-on-one with Gallesio and score to make it 0–7. The visitors were determined to maintain their high standard, and the chance that fell to Carla Christen was proof of that. However, a two-stage save on the line by the Lugano goalkeeper denied her the chance to celebrate. The introduction of Julia Matuschewski, a German-Polish attacking midfielder returning to the banks of the Rhine after four years with Sturm Graz and Sand, boosted the quality in attack.
The number 10 stood out with sublime touches of the ball whenever she had the chance. In the closing stages, almost all the chances came from her feet. First, she tested the waters with a long-range rocket that was parried off the underside of the crossbar, with the ball failing to cross the goal line. Finally, in the 86th minute, another attempt from twenty metres proves successful. This time, however, Gallesio plays her part, appearing to control the ball only for it to slip away from her. Earlier, in the space of just 120 seconds, the Ticino goalkeeper distinguished herself with a dive to save Hand’s diagonal shot and by deflecting Arthur’s effort with her foot.
The second round of the AXA Women’s Cup therefore marks the end of the season for FC Lugano Femminile in the knockout competition. Now, coach Andrea Antonelli’s side will turn their attention back to the Lega Nazionale B league. On Saturday 3 October at 6.00 pm, they will be away to Schlieren in Zurich, with the primary aim of making up for the points lost in recent weeks for various reasons.
Meanwhile, the bianconeri’s manager shared his thoughts following the clash against one of the powerhouses of Swiss women’s football: ‘Apart from our result today, and those of the other matches, it has been confirmed that there is a gulf between the elite and the division below. We did everything we could, both technically and physically. The girls were exemplary in terms of their attitude and commitment right until the end, giving everything they had. They never lost their composure, fought for every ball, and today the most important thing was not to lose our heads. Against a team of the highest calibre in every respect, it’s a positive that we didn’t ‘sink’. I have no complaints about the girls. Perhaps the only point worth highlighting concerns our management of possession, which was marred by several technical errors. But this was down to fatigue and the difficulty in containing our opponents’ physical strength. Tomorrow we’ll meet up again to start preparing for the match against Schlieren, which we intend to approach as best we can, even though we know it will be a tough one. The girls, despite everything, are still in the thick of it, and even the last league fixture against Winterthur showed that the team is still very much alive. I’m certain we’ll be ready.”
MATCH REPORT
AXA Women’s Cup 2026–2027, 2nd round
Al Maglio Sports Centre, Canobbio – 300 spectators
FC LUGANO WOMEN (LNB) – FC BASEL 1893 FRAUEN (AWSL) 0–8 (0–5)
GOALSCORERS: 3’ Rankić 0–1, 17’ Arthur 0–2, 25’ Rankić 0–3, 32’ Hand 0–4, 44’ Flis 0–5, 53’ Sow 0–6, 64’ Rankić 0–7, 86’ Matuschewski 0–8.
FC LUGANO WOMEN (5-3-2): Gallesio; Oliva, Milosavljević, Colombo, Zanaboni, Unternährer (46’ Rossi); von Ballmoos (72’ Croci), Forte Calatti, Di Muro; Dalić (81’ Negri), Andreoli.
Substitutes: Audrino, Albertini, Manca.
Manager: Andrea Antonelli.
FC BASEL 1893 WOMEN (4-2-3-1): Wölfle; Hagmann, Göppel, Gagliano, Flis (57’ Christen); Bucher (46’ Jäggi), Sow (57’ Brügger); Soiron (46' Eisenring), Rankić (72' Matuschewski), Hand; Arthur.
Substitutes: Reinschmidt, Bennewitz, Hirata, Rüegsegger.
Manager: Danique Stein.
SENT OFF: 6' Göppel.