Lugano had a difficult match in Zurich, where they were narrowly defeated by Grasshopper despite playing with an extra man for seventy minutes. Their winning streak, which began at the end of November, thus came to an end after twelve matches without defeat.
The minute before kick-off was dedicated to a moment of silence in memory of Francis Montandon, who passed away last February at the age of 74 and is particularly remembered for his historic victory against Real Madrid in the 1970s.
As for the starting eleven, Mattia Croci-Torti brought Kevin Behrens back into the centre of the attack. He is supported by captain Renato Steffen and Daniel Dos Santos. The other change in the starting line-up is the presence of João Carbone in place of Lukas Mai. Otherwise, the line-up is the same as last Sunday's winning team against Lausanne.
After a start in which the Cavallette tried to put pressure on the Ticino defence, an incident occurred that brought the game to a halt for a fairly long period. In the seventh minute, a dribble by Dos Santos is deflected by a Biancoblù player. The ball rises in the centre of the area and Behrens is quickest to put his side ahead. However, the VAR shows that the German striker was in an offside position. The Bianconeri's misery is compounded shortly afterwards. In the twelfth minute, following a corner kick, Luke Plange beat Amir Saipi from close range. Immediate protests about a possible touch with Abdoulaye Diaby's arm are in vain, and the goal is validated.
The visitors' reaction is immediate. However, Yanis Cimignani's attempt is blocked by Justin Hammel's chest. At the other end, Saipi is called into action by Simone Stroscio with a low save. From one end to the other, there is no let-up and the atmosphere becomes increasingly heated. Just like when Steffen, sprinting towards the opposition's 16-yard box, beats Diaby for pace, forcing the Malian centre-back to bring him down and leaving Marijan Drmić with no option but to show him a red card for a 'last-man foul'. For the next seventy minutes, the Sottocenerini played with a numerical advantage.
Just past the halfway point, Steffen was again in the spotlight. This time, however, it was for the wrong reasons, as after a precise vertical assist from Behrens, the #11 was hypnotised by the Zurich goalkeeper, who emerged victorious from the one-on-one confrontation. In circumstances like these, patience is the mantra of a team that is behind in the score and forced to take the initiative in order to equalise as soon as possible. This almost happened with a header from Behrens that went wide by a matter of centimetres. Breaking down an opponent's defence that is entrenched in defence of a 1-0 lead is anything but easy. With clear possession of the ball and a good dose of patience, the Lugano team tried to overcome the obstacles, but struggled to create any real danger. The 'expected goals' ratio at the final whistle, equal to 0.18, reflects the difficulties encountered by Uran Bislimi and his teammates.
The triple substitution made by manager Croci-Torti after the break - bringing on Lukas Mai, Ezgjan Alioski and Georgios Koutsias simultaneously - confirmed his intention to steadily increase the team's presence in the attacking zone. This was something that had been lacking in the first forty-five minutes. Despite the opposition's half of the pitch being crowded and dense with players, there were complications in creating scoring opportunities. The first real chance of the match came from Antonios Papadopoulos' right-footed curler in the 55th minute. However, the German centre-back found Hammel as the final target.
The Grasshoppers defended, gritting their teeth for most of the second half. For their part, the Bianconeri did not concede much and tried to give it their all. Anto Grgić's cross to Steffen's forehead on the hour mark resulted in a shot that went wide of the goal. The captain himself then tried to trouble Hammel with a venomous left-footed shot from the edge of the box, which was deflected by the local goalkeeper's fingertips. A hundred metres away, Saipi was alert and blocked Imourane Hassane's powerful shot.
Given the shortage in the 'three-zone', the Sottocenerino coaching staff went 'all in' in the 70th minute when Mattia Bottani replaced Anto Grgić. And this move almost led to a goal. After a cross from Alioski, Hammel responded to Luka Mikulić's unintentional back pass. The subsequent pressure, which made for an exciting end to the match, only brought frustration to the Ticino side, who were unable to find a way to equalise. The twelve-game unbeaten streak thus came to an end on the banks of the Limmat after a match in which they failed to capitalise on seventy minutes of numerical superiority.
With the positive run over, the Bianconeri are expected to play two home games at Cornaredo against Sion and Lucerne between Wednesday 4 and Saturday 7 March. Both matches will kick off at 8.30 p.m.
MATCH REPORT
Brack Super League, Matchday 27
Stadion Letzigrund, Zürich - 4,543 spectators
GRASSHOPPER CLUB ZÜRICH - FC LUGANO 1-0 (1-0)
GOALSCORER: 12' Plange 1-0.
GRASSHOPPER CLUB ZÜRICH (4-2-3-1): Hammel; Ngom, Diaby, Mikulić, Stroscio; Abels (89' Diarrassouba), Köhler; Plange (46' Abrashi), Meyer, Asp Jensen (30' Hassane); Frey (70' Lee).
Substitutes: Glaus, Clemente, Tsimba, Ullmann, Krasniqi.
Coach: Gerald Scheiblehner.
FC LUGANO (3-4-2-1): Saipi; Papadopoulos, Kelvin (46' Mai), Carbone (46' Alioski); Zanotti (80' Pihlström), Grgić (70' Bottani), Bislimi, Cimignani (46' Koutsias); Steffen, Dos Santos; Behrens.
Substitutes: von Ballmoos, Brault-Guillard, Kendouci, Belhadj.
Coach: Mattia Croci-Torti.
REFEREE: Marijan Drmić.
ASSISTANTS: Pascal Hirzel and Claudio Dos Santos.
FOURTH OFFICIAL: Mirel Turkes.
VAR: Fedayi San.
AVAR: Déborah Anex.
BOOKINGS: 66' Mai, 89' Stroscio.
SENT OFF: 19' Diaby.
Men's First TeamMarch 1, 2026