In the sixteenth and penultimate match of the first half of the Hoval Promotion League season, Lugano U21 faced their young neighbours from Lausanne away at the Stade de la Tuilière. The mid-November match ended with a 2-0 (0-0) victory for the home side.
For the match in French-speaking Switzerland, coach Andrea Vitali cannot count on central defender Aleksandar Radić, who is suspended for one match after receiving his fourth yellow card against Schaffhausen, nor on another member of the defence, Lendrit Shala, and attacking winger Yuri Peverelli, who have been called up by Kosovo U21 and Switzerland U19 respectively. On the other hand, Nicola Gamba and Yassin Sbai are back in the squad after injuries that halted their progress in the autumn. Damian Kelvin is therefore back in the starting eleven as defensive reference point.
Despite the obvious fatigue caused by the long and exhausting journey, the Ticino side approached the match in a positive manner. Although they failed to cause Emilien Grosso any serious problems, the visitors were well organised on the pitch and, as time went on, sought to raise their centre of gravity, forcing the Biancoblù to manoeuvre 'from behind' with few outlets in attack. However, both sides were extremely focused in every situation, and in the early stages, the two teams cancelled each other out.
In such a balanced and tight game, it took until the 31st minute to see the first significant action, which came from Luca Molino and Johann Angstmann. The captain's cross was precise for the arrival of #7 in the centre of the area, who, unmarked, failed to make the desired impact with the ball and placed a right-footed shot that ended up over the crossbar. The Vaud response came in the 45th minute and consisted of a left-footed shot from the edge of the area by Allan Bulu, which also went high over Fotios Pseftis' goal.
After returning from the changing rooms, neither manager opted for any immediate substitutions. As a logical consequence, the twenty-two players who started the match retained their positions. The first thrill of the second half came in the 51st minute, when Angstmann, served between the lines by Christian Raffa, sent in a low cross that was intercepted by Tristan Díaz, who beat Rafael Frizzi to the ball and sent it straight onto the post with Grosso caught off guard.
With referee Lionel Tschudi in control of proceedings, the duel continued in a balanced fashion. The deadlock was broken when least expected. In the 72nd minute, Andrew Lachhab attempted a shot from the edge of the box that appeared harmless. However, Kelvin was in the way and, despite himself, deflected the ball onto Ertan Ali's right foot, whose quick execution surprised Pseftis and gave the home side the lead. In the final stages, the Sottocenerini leader went all in, bringing on all the attacking players at his disposal. Today, luck turned its back on Lugano's second team, who conceded a second goal in the 90th minute, scored by Darko Lötscher with a precise diagonal shot into the far corner.
"It was a balanced game, where we created some good opportunities, hitting the post with a deflected cross, failing to capitalise on a golden opportunity with Johann Angstmann and failing to find the net with a diagonal shot from Rafael Frizzi. The 1-0 goal was fortunate, especially since they hadn't caused us any trouble up to that point. Then, once we took the lead, the match went the way our opponents wanted. The recoveries of Nicola Gamba and Yassin Sbai are important; they played the last twenty minutes and we are happy that they are back in action. However, we will have to make sure that they do not suffer any relapses. Kreuzlingen? The goal will be to go into the long winter break with three points. Be careful, because the same will apply to the Biancoverdi," said coach Andrea Vitali in his post-match analysis.
Lugano U21's last official outing of the calendar year – they remain on 19 points in the table and are level with their Swiss-French rivals – will take place on Sunday 23 November 2025, kicking off at 3 p.m. on the friendly artificial turf of the Al Maglio Sports Centre in Canobbio. The opponent against whom the first phase of the season will conclude will be the Thurgau team Kreuzlingen.
MATCH REPORT
Hoval Promotion League, Matchday 16
Stade de la Tuilière, Lausanne
FC LAUSANNE-SPORT U21 – FC LUGANO U21 2:0 (0:0)
GOALS: 72′ Ali 1:0, 90′ Lötscher 2:0.
FC LAUSANNE-SPORT U21 (4-3-3): Grosso; Bittarelli, Moreno (60' Moraga), Díaz, Bulu; Mandaka (60' Lippo), Dalliard (71' Lötscher), Ali; Bah Mendes (86' Correia), Lachhab, Cantaluppi (60' Milovanović).
Substitutes: Boughanem, Rihs.
Coach: Manuel Hervas Hernández-Sonseca.
FC LUGANO U21 (3-5-1-1): Pseftis; Gecaj (78' De Queiroz), Kelvin (78' Gamba), Molino; Angstmann (78' Sbai), Amirzade, Parente, Maslarov, Shabanaj (62' Donnini); Raffa (84' Lechner); Frizzi.
Substitutes: Pellanda, Terzi.
Coach: Andrea Vitali.
REFEREE: Lionel Tschudi.
ASSISTANTS: Sandro Palma and Johann Bastian.
BOOKINGS: 38' Shabanaj, 56' Díaz, 76' Molino, 90' +3' Frizzi, 90' +3' Milovanović.