Postponed around ten days ago due to commitments for several players on both sides with the Swiss national youth teams, the match between the Lugano and Zurich U21s finally takes place at the Maglio in Canobbio on a sunny Wednesday afternoon in early April.
The high temperatures, which feel more like summer than spring, do not deter the players on the pitch, who are not shy of making numerous runs throughout an entertaining match full of chances to break the deadlock at both ends.
The visitors get off to a better start, intent on building play from the back through numerous passes from goalkeeper Yevgen Morozov. However, they struggle to create clear-cut chances. And so, it is the Bianconeri who pose the first real threat when the clock hits the 16-minute mark. A generous Yassin Sbai delivers a precise cross from the left into the centre. Gjan Ajdin is on hand to lay the ball off for Rafael Frizzi, who is perfectly positioned in front of goal. However, the #14 miscued his header, failing to hit the target from close range. Captain Ilija Maslarov’s left-footed shot from distance,
which sailed over the bar, came about ten minutes before Diego Mina’s decisive block on Mario Greco’s powerful right-footed effort, which bounced in front of the Lugano goalkeeper before being expertly cleared by the 20-year-old. A hundred metres away, a free-kick from Ajdin finds Morozov an impenetrable wall. In the closing stages of the half, there are two excellent chances for the home side. The first stems from a soft cross by Maslarov and ends with a block on Yuri Peverelli’s left-footed effort and a save from Frizzi’s subsequent low shot. The second is a splendid through ball from Jason Parente to the ever-present Sbai, whose shot is saved just centimetres from the goal line by Elohim Kamoko.
After the break, it was Cosimo Fiorini’s turn to try his luck. His left-footed effort went just wide. Sixty seconds later, in the 54th minute, Aleksandar Radić and Rron Krueziu threw themselves in the way, denying the Swiss side the joy of taking the lead. Just past the hour mark, Peverelli delivered a precise assist to Parente. The attacking midfielder’s header was saved by the Biancoblù’s Ukrainian goalkeeper.
The latter literally saved the result in the 80th minute, responding with a truly spectacular reflex save to Alessio Chiesa’s powerful header following a corner from Parente. The same happened five minutes later to David Piffero’s ‘sure-fire’ shot from seven metres. This came from a corner resulting from a timely defensive clearance that denied Peverelli, set up by Sbai, the chance to celebrate a potential goal. Amidst these crucial moments for the Sottocenerini, Mina’s spectacular save from Leon Grando’s diagonal half-volley deserves special mention.
The 0-0 scoreline at the final whistle from referee Andrin Borra – a result that had not been seen for exactly five months (it was 8 November 2025 and the opponents were Schaffhausen, once again in front of their home crowd) – thus awards a point each to Lugano and Zurich, who move up to 29 and 34 points respectively, retaining 12th and 9th place in the table. The young Bianconeri’s ‘tour de force’ has only just begun. The next fixture is therefore just around the corner: on Saturday 11 April 2026 at 15:00, once again at their home ground, the Maglio in Canobbio, they will face Basel’s U21s.
Ahead of the clash with the Rossoblù, manager Andrea Vitali expressed his satisfaction with his players’ performance: “I’m very pleased with what the team put in over the ninety minutes. Both sides had several chances; perhaps ours were the clearer ones, and their goalkeeper made three or four crucial saves – truly remarkable. That said, in matches like this, if things go against you, you can end up losing. The Tigurini created their chances, but objectively the best ones fell our way and we were unlucky in certain situations. A 0-0 draw five months on? It’s a coincidence, because we’re young and we make a few mistakes. The upcoming match against Basel U21? It will be completely different from today’s. The Basel side focus more on passing and we’ll have to be careful not to lose our shape, maintaining the attitude that allowed us to share the points with the Zurich side.”
MATCH REPORT
Hoval Promotion League, Matchday 24
Al Maglio Sports Centre, Canobbio – 200 spectators
FC LUGANO U21 – FC ZÜRICH U21 0–0
FC LUGANO U21 (3-4-2-1): Mina; Krueziu, João Carbone (31’ Chiesa), Radić (81’ Tiraboschi); Peverelli, Amirzade, Maslarov (57’ Raffa), Sbai; Ajdin, Parente (81’ Puddu); Frizzi (57’ Piffero).
Substitutes: Ndiaye, Chakor.
Manager: Andrea Vitali.
FC ZÜRICH U21 (3-4-1-2): Morozov; Kovacević, Okafor (69' Trivellin), Kamoko; Fischer (46' Lichtenstein), Fiorini, Stiel (55' Stork), Volken; Di Giusto (46' Grando); Ramić, Greco.
Substitutes: Dauti, Frey, Diawara.
Manager: Burim Kukeli.
REFEREE: Andrin Borra.
ASSISTANTS: Pascal Schuler and José Antonio Pereira.
BOOKINGS: 37' Kamoko, 80' Piffero, 89' Puddu.
Men's U21April 8, 2026