The gloomy Valentine's Day afternoon, which threatened rain but remained dry, did not bring any points for Lugano U21, who were beaten 3-0 by Cham.
The match, which saw the Bianconeri's second team return to official competition two and a half months after their last outing, started at a fairly high intensity. However, during the first ten minutes, the game was played from one area to another without any real scoring opportunities.
In the eleventh minute, Arbnor Gecaj lost the ball in the attacking half, triggering a quick counterattack by the visitors, which was masterfully finished by Marin Wiskemann. The former Bienne player cut inside towards the box and beat the blameless Diego Mina with a right-footed shot into the bottom corner. Buoyed by their enthusiasm, Zug produced an excellent combination between Joël Ris and Matteo Pasquarelli to leave three opponents stunned. The #10, captain of the Swiss side, doubled the lead with a precise left-footed diagonal shot.
The home side's response was swift, with Ian Tiraboschi's corner finding Aleksandar Radić, whose powerful header was cleared off the line by Nico Stucki. His opposite number Mina was not to be outdone and in the 36th minute he palmed away a venomous attempt from outside the area by Noah Flühmann. Then, in the space of sixty seconds, the match was effectively decided. A vertical pass from Tiraboschi to Rafael Frizzi sent the striker through on goal, and he made no mistake. At the other end, a quality, fast-paced move allowed Wiskemann to triple the lead with a strike in front of goal.
The second half began with a goal by Frizzi that was disallowed for offside. It was a shame because if the header by #14, who did well to get on the end of captain Luca Molino's cross, had been allowed, we would have seen a completely different second half. Probably a little demoralised by this decision, the young Bianconeri struggled to create further chances to get on the scoresheet. The only real opportunity to do so came in the 74th minute, with David Piffero and Yuri Peverelli denied at the last moment by the Zug defence.
Thus, Lugano U21's first match of the second half of the season ended in a 0-3 defeat (0-3), leaving them stuck on 22 points and down to 10th place in the table. Their next match is scheduled for Saturday 21 February 2026 at the Sportanlage Kleinfeld, home of league leaders Kriens. Kick-off is scheduled for 5.30 p.m.
Coach Andrea Vitali's analysis at the end of the match reflects the thoughts of the Lugano public: "They were better than us, closing out the game in the first 45 minutes. However, the lads finished the game in the right way. Now, we turn the page, knowing that another championship has just begun. We knew it would be difficult because we have rejuvenated the squad. We must remain united and compact and see what happens. The 3-0 that sealed their victory was the result of three excellent moves by the Rossoblù. We also had a couple of chances, but we were unable to capitalise on them. Kriens? Right now, we have to try to recreate what we did in the first half of the season with these new lads, and we need time to do that. You can't expect everything to happen immediately. It will certainly be a difficult challenge, but we're not going to worry about it. We're taking it one game at a time, and that's our main focus.
MATCH REPORT
Hoval Promotion League, Matchday 18
Sports Centre Al Maglio, Canobbio - 100 spectators
FC LUGANO U21 - SC CHAM 0:3 (0:3)
GOALS: 11' Wiskemann 0-1, 18' Pasquarelli 0-2, 39' Wiskemann 0-3.
FC LUGANO U21 (3-4-2-1): Mina; Krueziu (62' Shabanaj), Gecaj, Radić (82' Heller); Molino, Maslarov, Amirzade (77' Jagodić), Peverelli (82' Donnini); Puddu, Tiraboschi; Frizzi (62' Piffero).
Substitutes: Pellanda, Chakor.
Coach: Andrea Vitali.
SC CHAM (4-2-3-1): Stucki; Haag, Bühler, Zimmermann, Pauli; Flühmann (79' Vögele), Bajrić (86' Lüthi); Bieri (79' Wyss), Pasquarelli, Ris (86' Büeler); Wiskemann (72' Hegglin).
Substitutes: Heller, Schuler.
Coach: Pascal Nussbaumer.
REFEREE: Markus Schelb.
ASSISTANTS: Marcel Held and Pasquale Tringaniello.
BOOKINGS: 23' Radić, 54' Amirzade.