The first day of the Hoval Promotion League season ended with a rather heavy defeat for Lugano U21, who lost at home to Bulle by a score of 1–4 (1–2).
The match, played on the new pitch at the Al Maglio Sports Centre in Canobbio amidst the high temperatures of late and the resulting heatwave, began with both sides keen to establish themselves in the opposition’s half. The first chance of the match came from Christian Raffa, whose ball recovery allowed him to set up Aaron Davis on the left, who crossed directly at goalkeeper Ardit Meha. At the other end, a free-kick from the wing by Esteban Petignat found Thoma Monney’s head, but his header went wide. Shortly afterwards, an excellent team move by the home side sent Bryan Zurmühle through to cross from the byline for the onrushing Jason Parente. The attacking midfielder failed to connect with the ball as he would have liked, and the potential chance came to nothing. Just like Nicolò Puddu’s left-footed effort, which ended up in Meha’s arms.
The first of the two mandatory ‘cooling breaks’ was brought forward by a decisive ‘back-and-forth’. First, in the 20th minute, a through ball for Exaucée Mafoumbi (who was probably slightly offside) was intercepted by Ahmadou Ndiaye; Andi Ukmata was quickest to react to the clearance and, making no mistake, opened the scoring at the first real opportunity. The home side’s response was not long in coming. Three minutes later, in fact, captain Milad Amirzade spotted a bit of space in front of him, ran a few metres and directed the ball towards the visitors’ goalkeeper. The shot was deflected decisively by Monney, who wrong-footed Meha and levelled the score. The side led by Jean-Philippe Lebeau were not only solid but also clinical, a fact they confirmed in the thirty-fourth minute. Following a long throw-in, the ball slips quickly towards Esteban Petignat, who beats Ndiaye with a precise shot at mid-height, restoring the Swiss-French side’s lead. Once again, the response was swift, with attempts from Amirzade (a right-footed shot wide), Puddu (a shot deflected for a corner) and Rron Krueziu (a header grazing the post following a corner from Parente).
The second half saw no shortage of exciting moments, but a lack of cutting edge prevented the Lugano side from getting back into the game. And so, following a solo run by Raffa (which ended with a right-footed shot into the side netting), the Fribourg side effectively sealed the three points. In the 73rd minute, a lost ball in their own penalty area allowed the newly-substituted Mathis Giordano to score the third goal. Without hesitation, the Lugano side sought a quick response, but João Carbone’s header from Martim Marques’s corner failed to find the target. At the other end of the pitch, Joris Correa treated the crowd to a blistering run, culminating in a low cross to the far post for Ukmata, who tapped the ball into an empty net to seal his side’s fourth goal. In the closing stages, there was a final incident: referee Marc Mischler sent off Rafael Frizzi – who had come on a quarter of an hour earlier – for a reaction in midfield following a challenge that had been awarded in his favour.
Having put this first official outing of the new season behind them with a sense of disappointment, Lugano U21 will now prepare to face their local rivals, Young Boys, at 2.00 pm on Sunday 9 August 2026 at the Wankdorf Stadium in Bern.
Before kicking off the week’s training sessions, manager Andrea Vitali analysed, as usual, what happened during the opening ninety minutes of the league campaign: “It’s a tough result, that’s true. They made the most of their chances, whilst we had slightly more possession without, however, managing to create enough. The scoreline is a blow to us. Our naivety, combined with a lack of concentration on a throw-in and a build-up move, cost us dearly. Bulle have plenty of quality up front and proved it at our expense. It’s well known that our aim is to accelerate the development of our talented young players. We’ll stick to this approach and carry on. In conclusion, only time will tell whether we’re better prepared than last year. The truth is that this match has set us back considerably. It means we’ve made some major mistakes, so we must remain focused on what we’ve done and what we’re doing.”
MATCH REPORT
Hoval Promotion League 2026–2027, Matchday 1
Al Maglio Sports Centre, Canobbio – 300 spectators
FC LUGANO U21 – FC BULLE 1–4 (1–2)
GOALS: 20’ Ukmata 0–1, 23’ Amirzade 1–1, 34’ Petignat 1–2, 73’ Giordano 1–3, 79’ Ukmata 1–4.
FC LUGANO U21 (3-4-2-1): Ndiaye; Radić (62’ Gamba), Krueziu, João Carbone; Puddu, Amirzade, Gervasini, Davis (62’ Marques); Parente (71’ Riva), Raffa; Zurmühle (71’ Frizzi).
Substitutes: Mina, Donnini, Jakupović.
Manager: Andrea Vitali.
FC BULLE (4-1-2-1-2): Meha; Rexhaj, Monney, Sumbula, Doumbia; Correa; Kasongo (71’ Giordano), Raherinaivo; Petignat (71’ Gelato); Mafoumbi (71’ Antunes), Ukmata (85’ Nushi).
Substitutes: Jungo, Robert, Lourenço.
Manager: Jean-Philippe Lebeau.
REFEREE: Marc Mischler.
ASSISTANTS: Michael Gilli and Cédric Eicher.
BOOKINGS: 30' Sumbula, 45' +2' Radić, 48' Raffa, 52' Kasongo, 90' Doumbia.
SENT OFF: 86' Frizzi.
Men's U21August 3, 2026