Following a disappointing start the previous week in Küssnacht am Rigi, in the canton of Schwyz, FC Lugano Femminile made their debut at their new home ground, the Centro Sportivo Al Maglio in Canobbio, against the newly promoted FFV Basel. At the end of a spectacular match full of twists and turns, the two sides shared the spoils with a point apiece following a thrilling 3–3 (2–0) draw, confirmed by referee Ali Deniz’s final whistle.
The match, played on the early evening of 15 August, opened with a solo run by the elusive Aline Oliva, whose pinpoint cross found Mathilda Andreoli, perfectly positioned in the centre of the box. The number 7 controlled the ball and, with a powerful right-footed shot, beat Lena Vonarburg to give the bianconeri an immediate lead. The Rhenish side, whose build-up play and quality of football demonstrated their ambitions for the season, did not sit back and sought to take control of the match through sustained possession. Thus, a couple of minutes after conceding the goal to the Lugano side, Michelle Probst forced Chiara Audrino into action with the first of several saves she would make during the match. The home side’s response was swift, coming in the form of a run by Andreoli, who, however, failed to make the decisive touch and was denied by the opposing goalkeeper.
The substitution after a quarter of an hour, with starter Sara Gorza making way for Veronica Aio, came just moments before Juliana Gütermann’s shot from the centre. Another double chance fell to the visitors in the 36th minute. On both occasions, however, the Ticino players defended superbly, denying the opposition a goal with an initial block followed by a save. Celebrations erupted at the opposite end of the pitch 360 seconds later. Oliva launched a solo run down the right flank, laying the ball off to Mia von Ballmoos, whose shot was deflected just enough to wrong-foot Vonarburg and double the Ticino side’s lead. With the first half drawing to a close, a two-player free-kick in the penalty area set up Antonella Albertini to shoot and test the Basel goalkeeper’s reflexes. The ball, parried by Vonarburg, fell to von Ballmoos, whose effort from the edge of the box sailed over the crossbar.
After the break, Basel made a triple substitution that paid dividends very quickly. In the 50th minute, a perfect cross directly from the corner flag allowed Annika Rothen to catch Audrino off guard and bring the game back to life. The Rhineland side stepped up the pressure and only an instinctive deflection by the bianconeri’s No. 12 prevented the worst. Shortly afterwards, following another corner, the equaliser came. A chaotic situation in the box was sorted out by Gütermann, who was quickest to pounce on the ball and put her name on the scoresheet to make it 2–2 for the time being.
With a dozen minutes remaining, Salma Michel broke down the left, leaving Sara Di Mauro in her wake. The cross into the six-yard box was flicked on by Audrino straight to Probst’s feet; with the goal gaping, she couldn’t miss, turning the result around. Having taken that blow, the bianconeri could have crumbled mentally, but a great reaction saw them respond immediately. The credit goes to Melissa Colombo’s assist and Andreoli’s composure; she shook off two opponents and, once face-to-face with Vonarburg, made no mistake, slotting home the equaliser to make it 3–3.
Having secured a point from their first two competitive matches of the new season, FC Lugano Femminile must now turn their attention to the first round of the Swiss Cup. On Sunday 23 August 2026, kicking off at 4.00 pm, Giorgia Zanaboni and her team-mates will be away to Gäu Selection, a side from the Canton of Solothurn competing in the Second League, who will kick off their season this Wednesday against FC Entfelden.
Once the match was over, manager Andrea Antonelli expressed his satisfaction with the team’s performance, despite not securing a win: “In terms of commitment and sacrifice, we played another incredible match. Once again, several girls from the U18s came along to give us a hand. We effectively finished the match with ten players, as Mathilda Andreoli played the final quarter of an hour with a strain. We never lacked in determination or spirit. And after equalising, we managed to hold on to the result. FFV Basel? They’re a newly promoted side, but they don’t seem like they’ve just come up from the First League. Last week they beat Wil 2–0, a team that finished above us in the league last season. We did well to take this point home, despite conceding two goals at the end of the first half. The next fixture in the Swiss Cup? These are extremely tricky matches, because our opponents see them as ‘matches of a lifetime’. Now, we need to try and get our act together a bit and then prepare as best we can. First, we need a few players to recover. I’m referring in particular to Sabina Di Muro, who came off due to a respiratory problem. First we’ll take stock, then we’ll prepare properly for the clash.”
MATCH REPORT
Women’s National League B 2026–2027, Matchday 2
Al Maglio Sports Centre, Canobbio – 200 spectators
FC LUGANO WOMEN – FFV BASEL 3–3 (2–0)
GOALS: 5’ Andreoli 1–0, 40’ von Ballmoos 2–0, 50’ Rothen 2–1, 58’ Gütermann 2–2, 78’ Probst 2–3, 80’ Andreoli 3–3.
FC LUGANO WOMEN (4-1-4-1): Audrino; Di Mauro, Colombo, Zanaboni, Bassi; von Ballmoos; Oliva, Gorza (16’ Aio/79’ Calatti), Albertini, Andreoli; Di Muro (75’ Milosavljević).
Substitutes: Gallesio, Unternährer, Rossi, Rizzotto, Manca.
Manager: Andrea Antonelli.
FFV BASEL (4-2-1-3): Vonarburg; Bard (46’ Mentlik), Zollino, Forest, Mauch (78’ Leupi); Gütermann, von Moos (46’ Wyden); Rothen (68’ Raemy); Messerli, Niederberger (46’ Michel), Probst.
Substitutes: Rigo, Arabaci.
Manager: Andy Jurt.
REFEREE: Ali Deniz.
ASSISTANT REFEREES: Alban Iliri and Marc Utz.
BOOKED: 57’ Albertini.
Women's First TeamAugust 16, 2026