Antonio Marchesano celebrates his goal.
Martin Meienberger/freshfocus
The scene of the game
In the 13th minute, Asumah Abubakar grabbed FCZ player Bledian Krasniqi in the face in front of the referee. The FCZ player gratefully accepted the gift and fell to the ground. Game manager Stefan Horisberger had no choice but to send the GC striker into the shower.
Just 14 minutes later, Zurich’s numerical superiority was gone again. FCZ defender Nikola Katic stepped on his opponent’s ankle and also left early. It was the start of an eventful game in which FCZ was able to end its winless streak. With the 1-0 triumph, Brecher and Co. were able to take revenge for the derby defeat two weeks ago.
The better team
The two teams largely neutralized each other. Neither the FCZ nor the Grasshoppers were able to convert the additional space created by the two red cards into good scoring chances. In the second half, Bo Henriksen’s team tried to take control and were rewarded with three points.
The key figure
When things got dangerous in front of the GC goal, Antonio Marchesano had his feet in the game. The offensive man distributed the balls skillfully and thus repeatedly created a goal threat. In the 38th minute, the veteran took responsibility and put Bo Henriksen’s team in front with his penalty goal.
After 70 minutes, the 33-year-old called it a day. He was replaced by Fabian Rohner. The homegrown player has been relegated to the U-21 in recent months. The 25-year-old was only pardoned by those responsible the week before the game and was therefore able to play part-time.
The whispers from the stands
The Zurich derby on Saturday evening was in two senses. Because after the men’s duel, the women’s game also took place in Letzigrund. Anyone who had a ticket for the men’s game was allowed to remain seated in the Letzigrund. With this special campaign, the FCZ, which enjoyed home advantage, wanted to set a new attendance record in the Women’s Super League. For the 285th men’s Zurich derby, over 18,000 fans found their way to the cool Letzigrund.
The gate
38’ | 1:0 | Antonio Marchesano converted a foul penalty.
This is how it continues
For the FCZ, the league continues with the game in Lucerne. GC will next face their rivals from Basel.
The other game
Pascal Muller/freshfocus
There was also a city derby in Lausanne. There, first Gharbi (32nd) shot Ouchy in front before Rrudhani (45th + 2nd) was able to equalize for Lausanne-Sport. The Kosovar moved to Vaud on loan from YB just a few days ago. The score remained 1-1 in the end, meaning Ouchy is still bottom of the table with a seven-point difference over its city rivals.