At the third attempt, FC Lugano U21 secured their first three points of the new season. In Canobbio, the young bianconeri ran out 4–3 (2–3) winners over their neighbours from Lucerne thanks to an incredible late comeback.
Fielding the same line-up as in their last outing at the Wankdorf in Bern, with the exception of Aleksandar Radić – who started in place of João Carbone – the lads led by manager Andrea Vitali endured a nightmare start to the match. After four minutes, the very same defender, who had returned to the starting line-up, headed a long ball straight into the path of Salvador Do Amaral. He laid the ball off to Philipp Muff, who took a shot that was unluckily deflected by the home side’s full-back, wrong-footing Ahmadou Ndiaye as the ball slipped unstoppably between the post and the goalkeeper. Barely three minutes later, a precise through ball towards Aldin Smajić was converted into a goal by the blue-and-whites’ number 8. With plenty of time to control the ball and gather his composure, the midfielder doubled the lead with a low shot through Ndiaye’s legs. The first of the nine ten-minute periods ended with yet another chance for the visitors. Yet another through ball, this time towards Do Amaral, was cleared at the last moment by Leon Rüeger.
The difficulties in taking on a well-organised side with technical and tactical quality are evident. And they could become even more so when an unnatural twist to Jason Parente’s knee forces the attacking midfielder to leave the pitch in tears. As is customary, the usual diagnostic tests will be required to assess the injury, which occurred without any external contact. Never losing their composure, and constantly striving to play an open, flowing game, the Sottocenerini found a way to halve the deficit thanks to Aaron Davis. Set up perfectly by Nicolò Puddu, who had made a run down the left flank, the midfielder struck the ball first-time with his left foot, firing it diagonally past David Schädeli. The joy was short-lived, however, as the Lucerne side regained their two-goal lead through Smajić, whose powerful shot was, however, not dealt with flawlessly by Ndiaye, who, caught off guard by the bounce in front of him, let the ball slip through his hands, making the score 1–3 for the time being.
Subsequently, the final moments of the first half were all dominated by the Ticino side. In the 40th minute, Nicola Gamba treated the crowd to a run down the right, setting up Christian Raffa on the edge of the box for a central right-footed shot that was saved by Schädeli. In stoppage time, the goalkeeper made a mistake whilst building up play, which Raffa capitalised on. The playmaker collected the ball, sprinted towards the penalty area and, thanks to a clever dummy by Kenan Jakupović (who was offside and would have ruled out the move had he touched the ball), fired home a low shot to make it 2–3 after the first forty-five minutes.
The second half got underway with no changes to the line-up and, partly due to the sweltering heat, scoring opportunities were few and far between. In the first half, the only notable moments – apart from three yellow cards shown by referee Patrick Rogalla – were a left-footed shot from the centre by Cédric Röösli and a header from Radić saved by Schädeli. The match thus reached the 82nd minute, with both sides looking somewhat weary. And just when it seemed almost certain that the bianconeri were in for another setback, a corner was awarded by the referee after the visiting goalkeeper failed to observe the five-second ‘countdown’. Perfectly taken by Nicolò Puddu, the corner found the newly arrived and recently substituted Daniel Leo, who tried to strike the ball, only for it to bounce back to Bryan Zurmühle – who had also come on as a substitute in the second half – who didn’t hesitate for a moment and powerfully fired the ball into the back of the net to make it 3–3.
The red card shown to Vitali – for leaving his technical area for too long – further increased the home side’s pressure in their quest for the goal that would allow them to celebrate in full for the first time this season. Thanks to some great work from Zurmühle and a cross for Andrea Riva, this became a reality, as the No. 14 conjured up a superb diagonal lob that sealed the 4–3 victory. The scoreline could have been even wider had Zurmühle’s curling left-footed shot in the second minute of stoppage time not gone narrowly wide.
Given that most teams spent the weekend competing in the round of 32 of the Swiss Cup, Lugano U21’s league position has changed provisionally. However, thanks to these welcome three points, they have climbed the table, leaving the bottom of the league behind and catching up with their city rivals Paradiso. The next fixture is scheduled for 3.00 pm on Sunday 23 August 2026, when, under the roof of the Tissot Arena, they will face the ambitious Bienne, who have a perfect record in the league and are set to face Aarau today in the ever-fascinating knockout tournament.
At the end of the match at the Al Maglio Sports Centre, manager Andrea Vitali gave his usual analysis of the ninety minutes played by his lads: “Tactically, the Lucerne side were really good and, thanks to their quality, they forced us to keep a lot of men in the deeper areas of the pitch. We had a few difficult moments; we got off to a terrible start, but then we didn’t lose our heads – we stayed in the game and managed to look dangerous up front. Of the three matches, this was perhaps the one we played worst. However, in the end we’re taking home these three points, which we perhaps deserved in Bern. That’s football, and we secured the win with heart and courage. Initially, after conceding the first two goals, my attitude was a bit different, because I was reminded of what had happened in the first two matches. After those defensive lapses, even I, as the manager, had lost some of my confidence. I stayed calm, the lads found their balance, and I backed them.”
MATCH REPORT
Hoval Promotion League 2026–2027, Matchday 3
Al Maglio Sports Centre, Canobbio – 250 spectators
FC LUGANO U21 – FC LUZERN U21 4–3 (2–3)
GOALS: 4’ Radić 0–1 (own goal), 7’ Smajić 0–2, 27’ Davis 1–2, 32’ Smajić 1–3, 45’ +2’ Raffa 2–3, 82’ Zurmühle 3–3, 89’ Riva 4–3.
FC LUGANO U21 (3-4-1-2): Ndiaye; Gamba, Krueziu, Radić (72’ Chiesa); Davis (72’ Leo), Puddu, Parente (22’ Gervasini), Rüeger; Raffa; Tiraboschi (56’ Riva), Jakupović (56’ Zurmühle).
Substitutes: Mina, Donnini.
Manager: Andrea Vitali.
FC LUZERN U21 (4-1-4-1): Schädeli; Mahić (77’ Bossart), Graf, Sadikaj, Röösli; Demi; Do Amaral (77’ Rujkovci), Smajić (77’ Gasser), Lazri, Caputo (64’ Kalauz); Muff.
Substitutes: Gamper, Muccia, Beka.
Manager: Christian Schwegler.
REFEREE: Patrick Rogalla.
ASSISTANT REFEREES: Kevin Berli and Nicolas Himmelspach.
BOOKINGS: 5’ Demi, 60’ Zurmühle, 63’ Radić, 83’ Schwegler (FC Luzern U21 manager), 85’ Gamba, 90’ +4’ Puddu.
SENT OFF: 87' Vitali (FC Lugano U21 manager).
Men's U21August 16, 2026