- FC Winterthur defeated Lucerne 2-1 in the 23rd Super League round.
- Ltaief and Schättin turned the game around for the hosts after the break.
- For the FCL it is the first defeat after three wins in a row.
A nominal defender was the only Winterthur player in the Lucerne penalty area in the 83rd minute. Tobias Schättin, who came on as a substitute in the second half, won the header duel against Lucerne’s Nicky Beloko after a high ball from Granit Lekaj and beat Pascal Loretz in the FCL goal to make it 2-1.
The goal came just seconds after FCL defender Severin Ottiger was sent off with a yellow-red card for a foul on Schättin. Referee Sven Wolfensberger could have made a different decision in this situation.
Loretz lets Ltaief’s shot pass
The home team won thanks to FCW’s significant improvement in performance after the break. Sayfallah Ltaief equalized in the 64th minute. Loretz didn’t look particularly good with his low shot into the right corner.
FCL missed opportunities
Lucerne failed to clear things up in the first half. Although the guests went into the break with a 1-0 lead, they could have led higher.
FCL newcomer Adrian Grbic converted a foul penalty to take the lead in the 25th minute. Thibaut Klijdjé was fouled by Luca Zuffi in the penalty area.
Grbic could have increased the score on two occasions: in the 30th minute he put the ball next to the goal from the best position. FCW keeper Marvin Keller miraculously parried a header from the striking Austrian (45th).
Hopes for the championship round are alive
With their second win in a row, FCW moves within 2 points of their sixth-ranked opponent and can continue to dream of the Championship Group. A nice series came to an end for the FCL: Coach Mario Frick’s team had recently won three times in a row.
This is how it continues
Winterthur will be visiting FC St. Gallen next Saturday. In November, Zurich lost 2-4 at Kybunpark. On Sunday, Lucerne welcomes FC Zurich and wants to take revenge for the 1:4 home defeat in October.