FC St. Gallen went into the home game against Lugano with a lot of self-confidence. The Eastern Swiss team had been able to win every game against their home team so far this season. And with a win this Sunday afternoon, the “Espen” could have taken advantage of YB’s slip-up on Saturday (0-1 against FC Basel) and reduced the gap to the table leaders to two points.
But early in the game, dissatisfaction began to spread in St. Gallen. Less than five minutes had been played when referee Lukas Fähndrich showed Lukas Görtler a direct red card after VAR intervention. The St. Gallen captain accidentally stepped on Lugano’s Jonathan Sabbatini’s leg while trying to hit a long ball. Görtler cannot be assumed to have done anything intentionally, but the German caught his opponent with his open sole.
St. Gallen resists for a long time
Coach Peter Zeidler’s team found themselves in a difficult situation early on. Despite being outnumbered, Lugano found it difficult to create dangerous chances against the low-lying St. Gallen team in the first half. It was only shortly before the half-time whistle that the home team lacked the necessary concentration. Sabbatini gave the Ticino team the lead in the 45th minute.
In the second half, coach Mattia Croci-Torti’s team increased the number of hits and vehemently sought to make it 2-0. But the St. Gallen team defended with passion and also a bit of luck. And that’s not all: after a counterattack, Mihailo Stevanovic even equalized for the home team (68th).
Despite being outnumbered, the St. Gallen team had a sniff of winning points. But their happiness didn’t last long. Zan Celar’s header (73′) and Uran Bislimi alone against Lawrence Ati Zigi (80′) ensured the preliminary decision in Lugano’s favor. In the end, things got even worse for the “Espen”: Celar made the final score 4-1 in stoppage time with his second goal of the afternoon.
This is how it continues
St. Gallen therefore missed out on reducing the gap to YB. The Eastern Swiss will continue on Wednesday, when Servette will be a guest at Kybunpark. Lugano welcomes the Grasshoppers in Ticino on the same day.