FC Lugano have won the first leg of their UEFA Conference League play-off. At the AIL Arena, the bianconeri beat Maccabi Tel Aviv 2–1 and thus head into the second leg with a one-goal lead in their bid to reach the main phase of the competition.
In front of 3,435 spectators at the AIL Arena, Mattia Croci-Torti’s side took the lead through Kevin Behrens in the first half, responded immediately to the Israelis’ equaliser early in the second half, and sealed the 2-1 victory with a penalty from Anto Grgić.
BEHRENS BREAKS THE DEADLOCK
FC Lugano started on the front foot and created their first chance after just two minutes: Dos Santos received the ball outside the box and struck with his left foot, sending the ball narrowly wide. In the 7th minute, there was another good move, with Zanotti finding Cimignani on the opposite flank from the right: the Frenchman cut into the box and shot with his left foot, but failed to get enough dip on the ball.
Maccabi responded in the 18th minute. Davida accelerated down the right flank, reached the byline and picked out Varela in the centre of the box, but the striker’s right-footed volley went over the bar. Two minutes later, it was Lugano again who came close to taking the lead: Cimignani delivered a precise cross from the left for the unmarked Dos Santos, who fired wide with his right foot.
Lugano’s pressure paid off in the 31st minute. Once again, Cimignani delivered the ball into the centre; Behrens beat Melika to it with a precise header as the goalkeeper came off his line, making it 1–0.
The first half remained evenly balanced. Maccabi tried to disrupt Lugano’s build-up play with aggressive pressing and showed quality in possession, whilst the bianconeri managed to create the clearest chances and went into the break one goal ahead.
GRGIĆ EQUALISES
The second half, however, began with Israel drawing level. In the 47th minute, Revivo cut inside from the left and played the ball back to Shahar, who ran onto it and, with a first-time strike with the inside of his foot, directed the ball into the far post to make it 1–1.
Lugano’s response was immediate. In the 52nd minute, Asante brought down Cimignani inside the box and the referee awarded a penalty. Two minutes later, Grgić stepped up to the spot and made no mistake, putting the Bianconeri back in front at 2–1.
Maccabi then stepped up the pressure in search of another equaliser and caused some concern for the bianconeri defence, but Lugano defended carefully whilst at the same time finding ever-greater space to launch counter-attacks. In the 77th minute, the newly substituted Moncada accelerated on the counter-attack, entered the box and shot: a deflection off a defender sent the ball just a few centimetres wide of the post.
Shortly afterwards, Steffen tried his luck with a left-footed shot from the edge of the box, but it went just wide of the target. With the Israelis increasingly pushing forward, the game opened up even further. In the 85th minute, Maccabi had their most dangerous chance: Revivo unleashed a powerful right-footed shot from distance that crashed against the crossbar.
In the closing stages, spurred on by the crowd at the AIL Arena, Lugano even sought a third goal to extend their lead ahead of the return leg, but the score remained unchanged. The 2–1 result thus gives the bianconeri a deserved advantage at the end of the first 90 minutes of a tie that remains completely open.
In a week’s time, FC Lugano will travel to Batumi, in Georgia, for the second leg, which will decide who progresses to the main phase of the UEFA Conference League.
MATCH REPORT
: FC LUGANO v MACCABI TEL AVIV FC 2–1
UEFA Conference League – Play-off, first leg
, 20 August 2026 – AIL Arena
Attendance: 3,435
Goalscorers: 31’ Behrens, 47’ Shahar, 54’ Grgić.
FC LUGANO (3-4-3): von Ballmoos; Papadopoulos, Mai, Delcroix; Zanotti, Bislimi, Grgić, Cimignani (88’ Kendouci); Steffen (81’ Pihlström), Behrens (71’ Moncada), Dos Santos (71’ Marques).
Substitutes: Ndiaye, Gebhardt, Kelvin, Bichsel, Ajdin, Castro, Kendouci.
Manager: Mattia Croci-Torti.
MACCABI TEL AVIV FC (4-3-3): Melika; Shlomo, Asante (56’ Ben Harosh), Camara, Revivo; Shahar, Sissokho, Peretz; Davida, Sokler (56’ Farchi), Varela.
Substitutes: Mishpati, Saadia, Ben Hamo, Rosen, Layous, Glazer, Noy, Ben Simon, Abu, Madmon, Azo.
Manager: Kenny Miller.
Referee: Milos Milanovic
. Assistant referees: Milan Pasajlic and Svetozar Zivin
. Fourth official: Pavle Ilic
. VAR and AVAR: Aleksandar Zivkovic and Dejan Trifkovic.