The away trip to the banks of the Rhine, for Matchday 8 of the Hoval Promotion League, yielded no points for FC Lugano U21, who were beaten 2–1 (1–0) by Schaffhausen.
The fixture, already a tough challenge in itself given the strength and ambition of the yellow-and-blacks, proved an even steeper mountain to climb for the very young Ticino side. This Saturday afternoon, they were in fact forced to do without – in addition to the long-term injured Milad Amirzade and Jason Parente, joined by Luca Molino (who was substituted after around ten minutes of the home win against Basel) – the suspended Nicola Gamba (sent off against Basel for two yellow cards), Christian Raffa and Bryan Zurmühle (both of whom have accumulated four yellow cards this season, resulting in an automatic one-match ban). Given these circumstances, manager Andrea Vitali moved Leon Gervasini back a few metres and brought on, from the start – granting him his debut – the 16-year-old attacking midfielder Yassine Ourais, who in January signed his first professional contract with the club until the end of 2028 and who has so far scored once in four appearances for the U19 side.
The battle for every available ball characterised the early stages of the match, during which Diego Mina was alert, making a quick save to deny Noël Wetz’s dangerous effort from the edge of the box. This was followed by another chance for the visitors, created by Florian Schuler, which went just wide of the post. All this took place between the third and fourth minutes. David Sesa’s men had already shifted their centre of gravity significantly forward, consistently establishing themselves in the opposition’s half and earning three shots on goal in the opening ten minutes. Subsequently, it was Carmine Chiappetta who gave the visitors more than a few scares. The right-footed shot from the former Basel winger was blocked by the Sciaffusa goalkeeper. Sciaffusa’s pressure increased as the match went on, and only a tenacious defence kept the score at the opening mark.
It was therefore left to referee Axel Barbey to award a penalty following a challenge by Gervasini on Mats Hanke, which was deemed a foul. Rijad Saliji then stepped up to take the spot-kick; his shot across goal was deflected by Mina, who could do nothing to prevent the ball from ending up in the back of his own net. The bianconeri’s response was immediate and nearly led to an equaliser. A free-kick from the wing by Ian Tiraboschi found the head of Rron Krueziu, who was denied the joy of a goal by Samuele Rutigliano’s quick reaction. Halfway through the half, this was the first real attempt by the players from the Canton of Ticino. Possession remained almost entirely with the home side, whose pace of play caused serious problems for the Lugano side. The only option available in this first half was to defend, hoping for the opposition to make mistakes so they could try to strike on the counter-attack.
After the half-time break, there were no substitutions for either side. The pattern of play remained unchanged: the Swiss Germans maintained their presence in the attacking third and the Ticino side held their positions, trying not to concede space for a second goal which, at this stage, would effectively seal the match. It came right on cue as the clock hit the one-hour mark. The newly substituted Thomas Heller pulled back Chiappetta, with the foul beginning outside the penalty area and ending inside it. The referee therefore had no hesitation in awarding the home side their second penalty of the day. The experienced Ermir Lenjani stepped up to the spot and was initially denied by Mina. On the rebound, however, the left-back was quickest to react and slotted home to make it 2–0.
Given the events and the adversity, such a goal could have brought anyone to their knees. Not this very young Lugano U21 side, however, who, within the space of ten minutes, showed the character to halve the deficit and bring the match back into the balance. The credit goes to former player Leon Rüeger who, played in down the wing by Gervasini, curled a superb right-footed shot into the top corner, leaving Rutigliano with no chance. The momentum of the match shifted and the bianconeri grew increasingly confident, leaving obvious and wide-open spaces for the home side’s counter-attacks. Meanwhile, before the final whistle, two further debutants made their mark for the Ticino side. They were Senai Estephanos Ogbazghi, an 18-year-old defender of Eritrean nationality who usually plays for the U19 side (five appearances and two goals over the summer), who came on for Aaron Davis, and 19-year-old striker Marco Beggiato, who came on in place of Ian Tiraboschi.
As a result of this fifth defeat – the fourth in as many away matches – FC Lugano U21 remain on 9 points. They will have the chance to bounce back on Saturday 26 September 2026 at 5.30 pm at the Al Maglio Sports Centre in Canobbio, where they will face Cham from Zug.
As usual, it is up to the Lugano side’s manager, Andrea Vitali, to analyse the ninety minutes just played by his players: “It was a good performance. The lads did well, especially considering we were in the midst of a crisis, as we were missing six players from the starting line-up in our previous match against Basel. We therefore had to draw on the U19 squad, with Vincenzo Schipani, Yassine Ourais and Joakim Migliorati – as well as debutants Senai Estephanos Ogbazghi and Marco Beggiato. I’d like to congratulate them on this new experience. As for the match itself, we approached it carefully, trying to make the most of the resources at our disposal. Admittedly, they dominated proceedings, but they only scored from two set-pieces. And that is the main source of regret from this fixture.”
MATCH REPORT
Hoval Promotion League 2026–2027, Matchday 8
FCS Arena, Schaffhausen – 602 spectators
FC SCHAFFHAUSEN – FC LUGANO U21 2–1 (1–0)
GOALS: 20’ Saliji 1–0 (penalty), 61’ Lenjani 2–0, 70’ Rüeger 2–1.
FC SCHAFFHAUSEN (4-3-3): Rutigliano; Wetz, Soro, Schuler, Lenjani (73’ Gegaj); Kadima, Saliji (79’ Kujović), Hanke (62’ Rizvić); Del Toro (73’ Odutayo), Chiappetta, Volkart (62’ Campos).
Substitutes: De Nitti, Kralovec.
Manager: David Sesa.
FC LUGANO U21 (3-2-3-2): Mina; Gervasini, Krueziu, Radić; Migliorati, Schipani (59’ Heller); Davis (79’ Ogbazghi), Ourais (59’ Frizzi), Rüeger; Tiraboschi (87’ Beggiato), Riva.
Substitutes: Gerosa, Torti.
Manager: Andrea Vitali.
REFEREE: Axel Barbey.
ASSISTANT REFEREES: Philipp Scherzer and Florent Hunziker.
BOOKINGS: 19’ Gervasini, 47’ Davis, 60’ Heller, 69’ Tiraboschi, 90’ +2’ Radić.