FC Lugano beat BSC Young Boys 1–0 on Matchday 35 of the Brack Super League, the second fixture in the Championship Group. At Cornaredo, in front of 4,319 spectators, the bianconeri secured a crucial victory in their bid for European qualification, following an intense match full of chances.
Mattia Croci-Torti’s side built up play consistently, conceded little and found the decisive goal in the closing stages, when Steffen’s header turned the Bianconeri’s pressure into three points. With this victory, Lugano move up to 63 points and draw level with St. Gallen in second place.
LIVELY
FIRST HALF The match got off to an open start. After just two minutes, Zanotti crossed from the right and Behrens met the ball with a header from the centre of the box, only to see his effort saved by Keller. Young Boys responded in the 10th minute, when Virginius played a low ball into the box for Essende: his first-time shot forced von Ballmoos into a diving save.
Lugano, however, continued to create chances with greater consistency. In the 12th minute, Grgić crossed from the left and Behrens tried a tap-in from close range, but the ball went just wide. The Bernese side remained dangerous on the counter-attack and in the 30th minute, a clearance by the bianconeri defence fell to Sanches, who unleashed a powerful left-footed shot that failed to find the target.
Towards the end of the first half, Lugano had another great chance. In the 32nd minute, Steffen played the ball into the box; Keller came out but failed to hold onto it, and Delcroix found himself with the ball at his feet, but his shot was saved by the Gialloneri goalkeeper’s low dive. The teams went into the break at 0-0, at the end of a first half that was evenly balanced in terms of the score, but with the Bianconeri showing greater consistency in their build-up play and in occupying space.
STEFFEN IN THE FINAL STAGES
The second half began with Lugano once again in the driving seat. Following a set-piece, Delcroix came close to opening the scoring on two occasions: first with a header from Steffen’s free-kick, which Keller tipped away for a corner, and then from the resulting corner, when his powerful effort was saved at the last moment by the visiting goalkeeper’s feet.
Young Boys tried to get back into the game in the 57th minute through Colley, who cut in from the left and curled a shot from the edge of the box. Von Ballmoos read the trajectory and tipped it over the bar. The bianconeri’s response came in the 65th minute with a move from wing to wing: the newly introduced Alioski cut across the box with a precise cross and found Zanotti making a run, but his diving header went over the bar.
Lugano gradually upped the tempo and created another big chance in the 73rd minute. Zanotti played a through ball to Belhadj, who reached the edge of the box and unleashed a powerful right-footed shot that went just wide. A minute later, however, Young Boys hit the post through Monteiro, who did well to get on the end of Bukinac’s cross from the left.
Just as the match seemed to be heading for a draw, the bianconeri found the net. In the 84th minute, following a corner, Grgić delivered a precise ball into the box and Steffen headed home from the centre of the area, beating Keller and putting Lugano ahead. Immediately afterwards, the Yellow-Blacks came close to equalising through Maleš, who arrived at the far post to meet Fernandes’ cross but could only find the side netting. In the closing stages, Bottani also had the chance to seal the win on the counter-attack, but Keller saved at the near post.
The score remained unchanged. Lugano secured a deserved 1-0 victory, building on their current run of form and moving into joint second place with St. Gallen. The Biancoverdi will be the bianconeri’s next opponents on Sunday 10 May, once again at Cornaredo, in another crucial head-to-head clash in the Championship Group’s final sprint.
MATCH REPORT
FC LUGANO – BSC YOUNG BOYS 1-0
Brack Super League – Matchday
35 3 May 2026 – Cornaredo
Stadium Attendance: 4,319
Goalscorers: 84’ Steffen.
FC LUGANO (3-4-2-1): von Ballmoos; Papadopoulos, Mai, Delcroix (76’ Kelvin); Zanotti, Grgić, Belhadj, Cimignani (60’ Alioski); Steffen (87’ Kendouci), Bislimi (76’ Bottani); Behrens (60’ Koutsias).
Substitutes: Saipi, Carbone, Pihlström, Mahou.
Manager: Mattia Croci-Torti.
BSC YOUNG BOYS (4-2-3-1): Keller; Valery (65’ Janko), Wüthrich, Benito, Bukinac; Gigović (80’ Pech), Fernandes; Monteiro, Sanches (65’ Maleš), Virginius (46’ Colley); Essende (78’ Bedia).
Substitutes: Lindner, Zoukrou, Hadjam, Raveloson.
Manager: Gerardo Seoane.
Referee: Johannes von Mandach
Assistant referees: David Huwiler and Susanne Küng
Fourth official: Joël Brunner
VAR and AVAR: Lukas Fähndrich and Déborah Anex
Bookings: Fernandes (YB), Benito (YB), Wüthrich (YB), Janko (YB), Steffen (LUG).