A midweek Brack Super League fixture at Cornaredo, where FC Lugano take on FC Lucerne in their eleventh league match of the season. The Bianconeri, coming off the back of a defeat in Geneva against Servette, are looking to bounce back in front of their home crowd against a side that, by contrast, have drawn their last three matches.
From the opening minutes, however, it is Lucerne who dictate the pace, putting Lugano under serious pressure with high pressing and quick movement. The visitors pinned Croci-Torti’s side back in their own half and immediately created danger: in the 4th minute, von Moos tried a left-footed shot from the edge of the box, but a defender’s deflection sent the ball just wide. Shortly afterwards, in the 6th minute, a cross from the right found Ferreira unmarked to head in the box, but his header went wide from an excellent position.
Lugano struggled to break out of the pressure and their first shot on goal came only in the 20th minute, when Bislimi volleyed from outside the box following a defensive clearance, only to be denied by the goalkeeper. The Bianconeri were unable to build their play with any fluidity, whilst Lucerne continued to press hard and create chances. On the half-hour mark, Grbić came close to opening the scoring with a powerful right-footed shot that flew over the bar, and shortly afterwards Freimann forced von Ballmoos into a diving save from a dangerous left-footed effort from the edge of the box.
THE DECISIVE
SUBSTITUTIONS After a difficult first half, the second half began with a triple substitution decided by Croci-Torti: Mahou, Brault-Guillard and Cimignani came on, with the team switching to a back four. The impact was immediate and the new formation yielded results straight away. It was Bislimi himself, after a quick one-two with Mahou, who threatened with a shot from the edge of the box that grazed the post.
The turning point came in the 52nd minute, when Mahou produced a splendid solo run. The French winger burst down the flank, cut inside onto his right foot and unleashed an unstoppable shot into the top corner, giving the Bianconeri the lead and scoring his first league goal. Boosted by the goal, Lugano grew in confidence and continued to attack with conviction.
In the 63rd minute, it was Croci-Torti’s other substitute – Cimignani – who doubled the lead: the winger cut inside onto his left foot and fired a powerful shot at the near post, catching the opposition goalkeeper off guard to make it 2-0. Both substitutes proved decisive, injecting fresh energy and unpredictability into the attacking play.
With a two-goal lead, Lugano dominated the second half, maintaining a high tempo and controlling the match with authority. In the 74th minute, a swift counter-attack orchestrated by Mahou set up Behrens for a left-footed shot, but the German striker could only find the side netting. A few minutes later, it was Cimignani again who came close to a brace, cutting inside once more and firing a left-footed shot just wide.
The match thus ended 2-0, with Lugano completely turning the game around after the break and securing three well-deserved points thanks to a high-quality second half. In addition to the victory, the Bianconeri leapfrog Lucerne in the table, confirming their progress. Now there will be little time to rest: on Sunday 2 November at 2.00 pm, again at Cornaredo, St. Gallen will arrive for another important league fixture.
FC LUGANO – FC LUCERNE 2-0
Brack Super League – Matchday 11
30 October 2025 – Cornaredo Stadium
Attendance: 3526
Goalscorers: 52’ Mahou, 63’ Cimignani
FC LUGANO (3-5-2): von Ballmoos; Papadopoulos, Mai, El Wafi (46’ Cimignani); Zanotti (46’ Brault-Guillard), Belhadj (87’ Doumbia), Grgic, Blisimi, Marques; Koutsias (46’ Mahou), Behrens (82’ Duville-Parsemain).
Substitutes: Saipi, Kelvin, Cassano, Dos Santos.
Manager: Mattia Croci-Torti.
FC LUCERN (4-2-3-1): Loretz, Dorn, Knezevic, Bajrami (46’ Ciganiks), Freimann; Abe, Owusu; von Moos (64’ Spadanuda), Di Giusto (74’ Karweina), Ferreira (74’ Kabwit); Grbic (74’ Villiger).
Substitutes: Vasic, Ottiger, Vasovi, Xhemalija.
Manager: Mario Frick
Referee: Johannes von Mandach
Assistant referees: Stéphane De Almeida and Jonas Erni
Fourth official: Luca Piccolo
VAR and AVAR: Urs Schnyder and Marijan Drmic
Bookings: Belhadj (LUG), Koutsias (LUG), Dorn (FCL), Freimann (FCL)