Facing Grand-Saconnex on home turf at the Al Maglio Sports Centre in Canobbio, and under the watchful eye of Mattia Bottani, Lugano U21 suffered a defeat which, though clear-cut, keeps them in the running for survival in the Hoval Promotion League.
Matchday thirty-one of the 2025–2026 season for the young bianconeri – once again forced to field an emergency side with one of the lowest average ages of the season – got off to the wrong start. This was because the Geneva side, one of the form teams of late, took control of the match from the kick-off. It is therefore no coincidence that in the sixth minute, Jules Matuvunu wins the ball back on the byline, creating chaos in the centre of the box with a cheeky cross. Matteo Regillo, perfectly positioned, controls the ball, turns on his heel and opens the scoring with a right-footed shot at mid-height. The home side’s response comes in the form of a wayward attempt from 22 metres by Gjan Ajdin.
The Swiss-French side kept the ball moving constantly, persistently looking to double their lead. After a free-kick from Valmir Rahimi went wide, Adam Abbas took centre stage with a splendid left-footed strike from the edge of the box that flew under the crossbar, leaving an innocent Diego Mina with no chance. Despite the quick ‘one-two’, it was still Jean-Michel Aeby’s men who remained in the attacking third. On the quarter-hour mark, a powerful run by Matuvunu ended with a weak, central low shot. The home side went on the attack again with a counter-attack down the Christian Raffa-Yuri Peverelli flank, whose cross struck the arm (close to the body) of a defender. Up to that point, the action had been sporadic, as the real danger was coming from the Romands. First with a set-piece from Abbas, which Mina dived to save, preventing a third goal. Then with a left-footed effort from Theophilious Mensah saved by the Ticino goalkeeper.
Between the 41st and 42nd minutes, Lugano had two chances. Whilst the combination between Raffa and Bryan Zurmühle ended with the attacking midfielder’s ‘sure-fire’ right-footed shot going incredibly wide, Peverelli’s tap-in from Ilija Maslarov’s pinpoint cross appeared to be good. However, first-assistant referee Nicolas Morf flagged the winger for offside, stifling the joy of the goal. And so, the unwritten law of football works against the home side, as sixty seconds later Matuvunu capitalises on a build-up error by the bianconeri captain, sprints towards the box and slots home a diagonal shot to make it 3-0.
The Ticino side’s play is predictable, as is their movement off the ball. In the second half, it’s more of the same. The situation could have got even worse had the crossbar not denied Regillo’s left-footed effort in the 47th minute. There followed attempts from Abbas (deflected for a corner by Jason Parente’s back), Zurmühle, who, played in by Raffa, failed to hit the target, and Peverelli, whose left-footed shot went wide. Amidst the flurry of substitutions, there were two final chances, one for each side. Amin Hajoubi’s diagonal shot in the 79th minute sent shivers down the spines of the spectators, narrowly missing the target. Three minutes later, Parente had the chance to make the result a little more bearable, but his attempt was blocked by André Pinheiro.
Due to this 13th defeat of the season, Lugano U21 remain stuck in 14th place on 34 points. However, Lausanne U21’s 2-1 win away at Bavois does not alter the gap between the bianconeri and the relegation zone by a single point; it remains at eight points with nine points still up for grabs. The next opportunity to secure their place in the division will be away from home. On Saturday 16 May 2026, kicking off at 15:30, Alessio Chiesa and his teammates will face Schaffhausen on the banks of the Rhine.
At the end of the home fixture, manager Andrea Vitali commented as follows on what he saw on the pitch: “The worst performance of the year? I wouldn’t say so; there have been other poor performances this season. However, we can’t dwell on this. We still have three games to play. The squad is very young, and a few performances below expectations are to be expected. Survival? It’s not yet a certainty and things can change quickly. So, we don’t think we’ve secured it yet (even if we’re close). At the moment, what matters most to us is regaining credibility in the eyes of everyone. That is our goal. Today, they played better than us from the very first moment. We never got to the ball and didn’t win the second balls. That will be something to think about for the upcoming fixtures.”
MATCH REPORT
Hoval Promotion League, Matchday 31
Al Maglio Sports Centre, Canobbio – 150 spectators
FC LUGANO U21 – FC GRAND-SACONNEX 0:3 (0:3)
GOALS: 6’ Regillo 0:1, 14’ Abbas 0:2, 43’ Matuvunu 0:3.
FC LUGANO U21 (3-5-1-1): Mina; Chakor, Chiesa, Radić; Peverelli, Amirzade, Ajdin (74' Gervasini), Maslarov (60' Tiraboschi), Parente; Raffa (60' Shabanaj); Zurmühle.
Substitutes: Ndiaye, Krueziu, Donnini, Berisha.
Manager: Andrea Vitali.
FC GRAND-SACONNEX (4-4-2): Pinheiro; Almeida, Passi (81' Boyer), Holcbecher, Perracino; Abbas (74' Semedo), Hajoubi, Mensah, Rahimi (81' Mbaki); Matuvunu (70' Anselme), Regillo.
Substitutes: Lyoth.
Manager: Jean-Michel Aeby.
REFEREE: Henrik Karlsson.
ASSISTANTS: Nicolas Morf and Melissa Correia.
BOOKED: 55' Zurmühle.
Men's U21May 9, 2026