Matchday 10 of the Hoval Promotion League coincides with Lugano U21’s first derby. The young bianconeri, severely depleted by absences, fought hard right up until referee Patrick Rogalla blew the final whistle, but left the artificial pitch at Pian Scairolo empty-handed.
For the local derby, manager Andrea Vitali had to put together a line-up without being able to count on the long-term injured players Alessio Chiesa, Luca Molino, Jason Parente and Nicolò Puddu. Joining them were Ahmadou Ndiaye and Ian Tiraboschi – who were not in the squad but were present in the stands – as well as Swiss U18 international Aaron Davis. The innovative tactical formation features the attacking duo of Bryan Zurmühle and Rafael Frizzi, supported a few metres behind by Christian Raffa. In addition, Gjan Ajdin and João Carbone have been brought in to link the midfield with the central defence.
The first forays into ‘zone three’ came from the bianconeri. In the fifth minute, Zurmühle set up Frizzi, whose left-footed shot from twenty metres sailed over the bar. One hundred and twenty seconds later, Raffa played a long ball to the lively Frizzi. His shot across goal towards the near post was parried away for a corner by Yannis Pala. Subsequently, Corrado Cotta’s men came into the game. First, a free-kick from Federico Rasić failed to trouble Diego Mina. Then, the goalkeeper was decisive in saving a one-on-one with Aleksandar Babić. Having weathered that spell, the visitors pushed forward again and, through Leon Rüeger, had two attempts on goal. On both occasions, the ball failed to find the target. Zurmühle, however, managed to do just that on the half-hour mark following a through ball from the former Schaffhausen player himself. The outside of the net denied the number 19 centre-forward, who had produced a delicate outside-of-the-foot finish, the joy of scoring.
Just as Andrea Riva was forced to leave the pitch for a minute due to injury (as per the rules), the home side found the back of the net. A corner taken by Santiago Mateucci found Rasić’s head, whose deflection was unfortunately touched by Zurmühle over the goal line. This somewhat surprising setback gave Rron Krueziu and his team-mates even more vigour. Between the 36th and 37th minutes, there were two further chances. A cross from Rüeger towards Zurmühle was deflected at the last moment for a corner by a home defender, whilst the subsequent corner taken by Ajdin found João Carbone’s left foot, but his shot went wide.
Whilst the first half saw a combative and very well-organised Lugano U21 side, the second half confirmed this. Upon returning from the changing rooms, Milad Amirzade – back in full swing in the heart of the pitch – tried a powerful right-footed shot from twenty metres, which Pala struggled to save. This was followed by a cross from Ajdin for a header from Frizzi that went over the bar and an easy save by Mina from Damiano Plisko’s attempt. The visitors maintained a constant presence in the home side’s box, and it was only Andrea Riva’s failure to connect with Frizzi’s assist that prevented the teenager from getting a shot on goal. At the other end, Babić tested Mina’s reflexes, and the keeper rose to the challenge.
The final quarter of the match began with a cross from the tireless Gamba to Zurmühle. His header had everyone shouting ‘goal’, but the ball went just wide. The same move was attempted, on the other side of the pitch, by the newly-substituted Alejandro Cichero. Mina, however, has no trouble tipping it over the bar with an open hand. The number 12 is in the thick of the action again just before the 90th minute, when he controls a shot from Théophil Bachmann. Before that, though, Daniel Leo has one last-but-one chance. Taking advantage of a mistake in the home side’s defence, the full-back struck the ball powerfully towards Pala, who dived low to save it in two attempts. Finally, in stoppage time, a right-footed shot from distance by Ajdin, aimed on target, was cleared with a header.
And so it ends, with a second consecutive 0–1 defeat for Lugano U21, who remain in 15th place in the table on 9 points. The next opportunity to secure all three points – something they have not managed for three matches – comes on Sunday 11 October 2026 at the Al Maglio Sports Centre. Kick-off against Kreuzlingen from Thurgau is scheduled for 15:30.
Whilst preparing the weekly training plan, manager Andrea Vitali analyses, as usual, the ninety minutes that have just come to an end: “It was a match that could easily have ended in a draw. They scored from a corner, making the most of Federico Rasić’s height. For our part, we failed to capitalise on the chances we had. In the final minutes, it turned into a ‘nasty’ battle, and their time-wasting – where we fell into their trap a bit – shows they have more experience than us in that regard. It’s just one of those spells, but the league season is long. Our performances are consistently more than decent. And today’s was no exception. We played the match we needed to play. It’s a shame about the decisive incident that cost us. In my view, we put in a good performance for 60–65 minutes, followed by a bit of inexperience in the final twenty minutes. But all of that was to be expected.”
MATCH REPORT
Hoval Promotion League 2026–2027, Matchday 10
Campo Pian Scairolo, Paradiso – 500 spectators
FC PARADISO – FC LUGANO U21 1–0 (1–0)
GOALSCORER: 35’ Zurmühle 1–0 (own goal).
FC PARADISO (4-4-2): Pala; Plisko, Miranda, Akdemir, Benacquista; Mateucci (66’ Pizzagalli), Xhemaili, Ballerini, Tentardini (46’ Ouattara); Babić (71’ Cichero), Rasić (83’ Bachmann).
Substitutes: Abazi, Schelotto, Cellamare.
Manager: Corrado Cotta.
FC LUGANO U21 (3-4-1-2): Mina; Gamba, Krueziu, João Carbone; Riva (71' Leo), Amirzade (60' Gervasini), Ajdin, Rüeger; Raffa; Zurmühle, Frizzi (60' Ourais).
Substitutes: Gerosa, Radić, Migliorati, Donnini.
Manager: Andrea Vitali.
REFEREE: Patrick Rogalla.
ASSISTANTS: Qëndrim Uka and Valerio Corrupato.
BOOKINGS: 21’ Akdemir, 54’ Benacquista, 55’ João Carbone, 71’ Zurmühle, 90’ Cichero, 90’ Ajdin.