The only Sunday fixture in the fourth round of the Hoval Promotion League sees Bienne take on Lugano U21 at the Tissot Arena. At the end of the ninety minutes played under the Bernese sun, the result favoured the home side, who emerged victorious on their own turf with a score of 5–2 (2–2).
For their away trip to the Swiss Confederation, the Sottocenerini were forced to do without manager Andrea Vitali – suspended for one match following the red card he received in the closing stages of the home fixture against Lucerne U21 and replaced by his assistant Cristian Lamanna (who was very active on the touchline throughout the match, giving instructions to the lads) – as well as midfielder Milad Amirzade and playmaker Jason Parente. On the other hand, Luca Molino and Rafael Frizzi were back in the squad, having recovered from a long-term injury and a two-match ban respectively. In addition, Gjan Ajdin – who joined Mattia Croci-Torti’s squad this summer – takes his place in midfield, whilst João Carbone returns to the back line.
The match got under way with a save by Diego Mina, making his season debut between the posts, who was decisive in parrying Kévin Beltran’s dangerous diagonal shot after around thirty seconds. The Ticino side’s response is immediate, coming in the fourth minute when Christian Raffa, played in by Nicolò Puddu, forces Michel Fohouo into a difficult save that results in a corner. The battle was thus on. To make matters even more exciting, the visitors took the lead in the thirteenth minute. A long ball from Mina found Bryan Zurmühle, who left the Bienna goalkeeper with no option but to rush out of his penalty area and head the ball away. The ball then fell straight to the feet of Leon Rüeger, who wasted no time in opening the scoring with a precise chip into the centre of the goal. At their fourth clear-cut chance, the young bianconeri were the first to get their name on the scoresheet.
The home side, who had exited the Swiss Cup with their heads held high only after a penalty shoot-out against Aarau – having come from behind on two occasions – posed a threat in Mina’s area when the clock showed the 21st minute. The man behind the attempt was Sébastien Moulin, whose left-footed shot was superbly saved by the Lugano goalkeeper. At the other end, just past the half-hour mark, they were awarded an interesting free-kick. Ajdin stepped up to take it, delivering a magical assist into the centre of the box for Zurmühle. The centre-forward, who had been booked shortly before, laid the ball off perfectly for the onrushing Christian Raffa. The number 10 pounced on the ball with vigour and, with a powerful right-footed strike under the crossbar, doubled the lead, extending the gap to two. That lead was halved just moments before the final whistle from referee Julian Müller, thanks to a header from Omer Dzonlagić, who skilfully shook off Aaron Davis and directed the ball into the bottom corner, where Mina simply couldn’t reach it. That wasn’t all, however, as in stoppage time Felix Paviot levelled the score with a header from a corner.
On returning from the dressing rooms, after the disappointment of squandering their two-goal lead with two quick-fire goals, the Ticino side made a single substitution, with Daniel Leo coming on to bolster his team-mates in place of Aaron Davis. The pattern of play in the closing moments of the first half continued, as Chaibeddra Tani’s side completely turned the score on its head within the first third of the second half thanks to a misplaced cross from Beltran that turned into an unstoppable shot, catching Mina off guard at his near post. The strength of a side still unbeaten in the league is evident in the quality of their play. To underline this, right on the hour mark, Presley Pululu conjured up a diagonal shot from the edge of the box that found the top corner. It was 4–2 to the home side, and it was a heavy blow for the bianconeri to absorb.
Although there was still a good half-hour left to play (including added time), the Subcenerina side’s play was affected by the ‘one-two’ they had previously conceded. Opportunities to get back into the game were few and far between, and as a result the home side were comfortably in control, with the deficit threatening to widen in the 84th minute. However, Dzonlagić was caught out by Mina and, on two consecutive occasions (first saved by the Lugano goalkeeper and then blasting the rebound high over the bar), missed the chance to extend the lead between the two sides. Nevertheless, the fifth goal arrived three minutes later, when Sébastien Moulin sealed the final score at five–two, capitalising on a defensive error by the opposition and the open space in front of him.
Having put this heavy defeat behind them, Lugano U21 will now begin preparations for their home match on Saturday 29 August 2026 against Bavois. The ninety-minute match against the Vaud side will kick off at 17:30 on the main pitch at the Al Maglio Sports Centre in Canobbio.
First, however, we must hear the post-match analysis from the man who led the players on the pitch rather than from the dugout at the Tissot Arena. So, here are the comments from Cristian Lamanna, who stood in for manager Andrea Vitali on this occasion: “It was a real shame we weren’t able to take a lead of at least one goal by the end of the first half. We conceded two goals in quick succession, then in the second half it went as we all saw. The lads did well, though, to play on the counter-attack, taking a two-goal lead and even coming close to a third. Against Bavois, we’ll be keen to replicate our first-half performance, with the exception of the final five minutes. We’ll need to remain focused across all areas of the pitch, just as we did for forty minutes here in Bienne, and try to take all three points, which would be very important for our league position.”
MATCH REPORT
Hoval Promotion League 2026–2027, Matchday 4
Tissot Arena, Bienne
FC BIEL-BIENNE 1896 – FC LUGANO U21 5–2 (2–2)
GOALS: 13’ Rüeger 0–1, 32’ Raffa 0–2, 44’ Dzonlagić 1–2, 45’ +2’ Paviot 2–2, 57’ Beltran 3–2, 60’ Pululu 4–2, 88’ Moulin 5–2.
FC BIEL-BIENNE 1896 (4-1-4-1): Fohouo; Ombala (46’ Samba), Kuzmanović, Paviot, De Freitas; Asani (46’ Mäder); Beltran (68’ Abraham), Moulin, Bouameur (36’ Jakob), Pululu (78’ de Oliveira); Dzonlagić.
Substitutes: Stucki, Kadriu.
Manager: Samir Chaibeddra Tani.
FC LUGANO U21 (3-4-2-1): Mina; Gamba, Krueziu (64’ Chiesa), Carbone; Davis (46’ Leo), Puddu (85’ Riva), Ajdin, Rüeger; Tiraboschi (64’ Gervasini), Raffa; Zurmühle (64’ Frizzi).
Substitutes: Gerosa, Molino.
Manager: Cristian Lamanna.
REFEREE: Julian Müller.
ASSISTANT REFEREES: Mirvan Bajrami and Adrian Lanz.
BOOKINGS: 22’ Zurmühle, 31’ Moulin, 35’ Kuzmanović, 48’ Krueziu, 74’ Jakob.
Men's U21August 23, 2026