Kevin Carlos scored Yverdon’s second goal against FC Zurich on Saturday.
Urs Lindt/Freshfocus
In his quest to maintain, Yverdon carried out an excellent operation on Saturday. The Nord-Vaudois beat FC Zurich 3-2. Above all, at the same time, Grasshopper lost 2-0 against Winterthur. Thus, Alessandro Mangiarratti’s team is guaranteed to go through this weekend with four points ahead of 11th place, synonymous with a play-off. Eleven days before the end of the season, everything is still very hypothetical, YS is better off that way.
He can thank Boris Cespedes, scorer of the third goal in the 86th minute, scored following a long touch from Tijani. Captain for one evening, the 28-year-old midfielder will have perfectly assumed his leadership role by also being involved in the opening score for Yverdon.
Lugano makes it three against St. Gallen
By winning at Kybunpark against Saint-Gall on Saturday evening (2-3), during the 27th day of the Super League, Lugano signed a third victory in a row in the championship.
The two teams ignited the game very early, scoring three goals in barely 13 minutes: Chadrac Akolo opened the scoring in favor of the locals in the 3rd, then Zan Zeler equalized for the first time in the 10th. Willem Geubbels immediately gave Saint-Gall the lead (13th). Ahead at the break, the Brodeurs were again joined after returning from the locker room, with an achievement by Hadj Mahmoud (47th). In the last minutes, Lugano passed the shoulder thanks to Uran Bislimi (80th).
Thanks to this success, the Ticino residents took 3rd place with 43 points, ahead of FC Zurich (4th, 42 points), beaten at Yverdon. Saint Gall, which recorded a sixth defeat in eight matches, stagnated in 5th place (40 points).
More restrictive but effective approach
Because, in the situation it is in, Yverdon Sport must know how to find solutions. On Saturday, he was deprived of his usual captain William Le Pogam (back either in Lugano next week or against Young Boys after the break), his vice-captain Anthony Sauthier (absent six weeks), the replacement left back Dimitrije Kamenovic (suspended), without forgetting Varol Tasar who will not play again for the season. So, in this context, and given the three consecutive defeats he had just conceded, Alessandro Mangiarratti decided to change his approach: a 3-5-2, more defensive, more compact and more direct.
It’s a football that’s perhaps a little more restrictive, but it has its effectiveness. It of course requires us to believe that everything can turn out in the right direction, but when this is the case, a good part of the road has been covered. Well, in the 9th minute, Marley Aké launched into a solitary raid on the right side. There was less hope, but after losing and recovering the ball, the Frenchman was able to cross back for Cespedes. The ex-Servettian was in perfect position: his shot headed towards the goal, but to really secure the shot, the deflection of the tip of Aymen Mahious’ knee was decisive.
Zurich held on
But Zurich, strengthened by its victory against Young Boys last week, had other ambitions than being dominated by a weakened Yverdon. And very quickly, on a shot outside the area from Ifeanyi Mathew, FCZ would equalize (16th). He was even very close to going in front, but Paul Bernardoni was imperial by repelling a penalty from Jonathan Okita (27th).
It was therefore the Yverdonnois who took the opportunity to score the second: after a rapid transition, Dominic Corness’s corner found the head of Kevin Carlos five meters away (35th). It almost wasn’t enough, because Zurich had equalized in the 78th minute, when the very threatening Bledian Krasniqi ended up finding the fault in the 78th minute, running through the Yverdon defense until he found the right angle to strike. That was before Captain Cespedes took the helm.
Yverdon Sport – Zurich 3-2 (2-1)
Municipal, 3100 spectators.
Arbitrator: Stefan Horisberger.
Buts: 9e Mahious 1-0. 16e Mathew 1-1. 35e Kevin Carlos 2-1. 78e Krasniqi 2-2. 86e Cespedes 3-2.
Yverdon: Bernardoni; Gunnarsson (91st Malula), Marquess, Tijani; Aké, Corness (91st Olesen), Cespedes, Liziero (75th Vidakovic), Alves (75th Lusuena); Kevin Carlos, Mahious.Coach: At Alessandro Mangia.
Zurich: Brecher; Camper (87e Afriyie), Katic, Kryeziu, Dante; Earl (87th Rohner), Matthew; Conception (43rd N. Di Giusto), Krasniqi, Okita (66th Oko-Flex); Marchesano (66th Santini).Coach: Murat Ural.
Warnings: 31e Liziero. 42e Gunnarsson. 93e Kevin Carlos.
Notes: Yverdon sans Kamenovic (suspendu), Grødem, Jaquenoud, Kury, Le Pogam, Maurin, Sauthier, Silva et Tasar (blessés). 27e Bernardoni repousse le penalty d’Okita.
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