Lugano U21’s 32nd and third-to-last match of the current season ended with a minor setback suffered under the sunny skies of the FCS Arena.
With safety already secured since Friday evening – Lausanne U21 had drawn with Bienne at home, and with seven points to make up and only six left to play for, they can no longer catch up with Andrea Vitali’s side – the Bianconeri’s second team travelled to the banks of the Rhine with peace of mind, knowing that whatever the result, it would not affect their place in the division.
Despite the certainty of another season in the third tier of Swiss football, the priority now is to begin preparations for the coming season. The coaching staff are well aware of this, and – partly due to various absences (the list includes, alongside the long-term absentees Nicola Gamba and Luca Molino, the names of Rafael Frizzi, Jason Parente and David Piffero) – is putting its faith in the talent of Leon Gervasini from the start and bringing on 19-year-old left-back Denis Berisha and 16-year-old attacking winger Aaron Davis as ‘backups’ from the bench, players who feature for Team Ticino’s U19 and U17 sides respectively.
The home side’s hunger – as they are fighting for a place in the next edition of the Swiss Cup (the top seven finishers qualify for the main draw, excluding youth teams) – is certainly greater than that of the Ticino side, and it is no coincidence that their start saw them create a chance after just forty-eight seconds, which was immediately converted into a goal. The scorer of the early goal was the quick-footed Nick Berger, who, with a precise header from close range, sent the ball across the goal, leaving Diego Mina with no chance.
Having overcome the initial shock, the match became increasingly balanced, with the young bianconeri showing more initiative and intent on demonstrating their organisational and passing skills against an opponent who, just twelve months ago, had bid farewell to the Challenge League to start afresh in the Hoval Promotion League. David Sesa’s men were no slouches either, confirming their manoeuvring skills as they consistently reached the opposition’s 16-yard box. However, in what had been a fair contest so far, chances to add to the score were few and far between, and the score remained 1–0 on the display.
This remained the case until the 37th minute, when the visitors’ consecutive touches in the attacking third intensified. It was Yuri Peverelli who set the ball rolling and finished it off with a close-range header, pouncing like a predator on the ball following Ian Tiraboschi’s perfect assist. Four minutes later, it was Christian Raffa’s turn to try his luck, but his left-footed shot was deflected off the back of a Giallonero defender and ended up in the arms of Samuele Rutigliano. With a draw that could easily be considered a fair result, the teams headed into the dressing rooms for the half-time break.
The introduction of Yassin Sbai in place of Besart Shabanaj was the first substitution made by the Sottocenerini. It took the newcomer just over three minutes to pose a threat with a left-footed diagonal shot that was saved in two stages by the Confederation goalkeeper. Shortly afterwards, following a corner, referee Alexander Tester spotted a handball by Raffa and, as a logical consequence, awarded a penalty. It took around 120 seconds for Danilo Del Toro to take the spot-kick. Stepping up to take the penalty, the Giallonero captain was hypnotised by Mina, who anticipated the direction of the shot and, with a leap to his left, saved the penalty with class, keeping the score at 1-1.
In the 59th minute, however, he could do nothing about the home side’s number 10’s latest effort, who had started from an onside position and found himself one-on-one with the Lugano goalkeeper. Without letting the negative events get to them, the bianconeri lads went back on the attack and, following a shot by Peverelli, claimed a volleyball-style block by a home defender. This time, unlike the previous incident, the referee’s whistle did not blow, despite the blatant and justified protests from several players. From one penalty not awarded to another, at the other end, granted for a slight contact between Sbai’s leg and Berger’s. Ermir Lenjani steps up to the spot and scores his side’s third with a powerful left-footed shot into the top corner.
The match seems to be heading in the visitors’ favour when a perfect header from Alessio Chiesa launches Raffa deep into the box. The attacking midfielder doesn’t let the chance slip and, with a right-footed strike, brings the game back to life. The joy was short-lived, however, as Brillani Soro scored the fourth goal, effectively sealing the victory for his side. An intriguing, open contest between the two sides thus ended in a 4-2 win for Schaffhausen.
As a result of this defeat, Lugano U21’s points tally for the season remains at 34. The next fixture, the penultimate match of the season and the last at home at the Centro Sportivo Al Maglio in Canobbio, will take place on Saturday 23 May 2026, kicking off at 16:00 against Lausanne U21.
To conclude, as usual, here are the post-match thoughts of Ticino manager Andrea Vitali: “Today, some very young players (two U16s and one U17) featured, and we took to the pitch with lads aged 15–16. They could be part of next year’s squad, but these are matters that need to be discussed with the club. We, partly due to the numerous absences, have rewarded the most deserving players. What really matters, however, is avoiding relegation. It has been a season completed with the youngest squad in the league. Not having the pool of players that other U21 teams have, it has been far from straightforward. Looking ahead to the next two matches, against Lausanne and Kreuzlingen, they must be taken seriously.”
MATCH REPORT
Hoval Promotion League, Matchday 32
FCS Arena, Schaffhausen – 523 spectators
FC SCHAFFHAUSEN – FC LUGANO U21 4:2 (1:1)
GOALS: 1' Berger 1:0, 37' Peverelli 1:1, 59' Del Toro 2:1, 75' Lenjani 3:1 (penalty), 78' Raffa 3:2, 81' Soro 4:2.
FC SCHAFFHAUSEN (4-2-3-1): Rutigliano; Soro, Kralovec (76' Schläppi), Hasani, Lenjani (79' Gegaj); Kadima, Rizvić (46' Holenstein); Berger (76' Otudayo), Hanke, Del Toro; Pejić (79' Babić).
Substitutes: Leccadito, Wetz.
Manager: David Sesa.
FC LUGANO U21 (3-5-1-1): Mina; Gecaj (83' Chakor), Chiesa, Radić; Peverelli (83' Davis), Amirzade, Maslarov, Gervasini (62' Riva), Shabanaj (46' Sbai); Raffa; Tiraboschi (83' Donnini).
Substitutes: Pellanda, Berisha.
Manager: Andrea Vitali.
REFEREE: Alexander Tester.
ASSISTANTS: Bastien Seillon and Karim Sahmoud.
BOOKINGS: 44' Tiraboschi, 60' Mina, 64' Kralovec, 72' Maslarov, 74' Sbai, 87' Amirzade.
Men's U21May 16, 2026