KEYSTONE
Lugano and Lausanne-Sport confirm their form curves in the 3rd qualifying round of the Conference League. Lugano go down 0:5 in the first leg against Celje, Lausanne win 3:1 against Astana.
FC Lugano are always caught up in a negative spiral at the start of the season. After failing to score a goal in 210 minutes against Cluj in the Europa League, they have also been virtually eliminated from the Conference League.
The by no means overpowering fourth-placed team in the championship from Slovenia put on a real show in Thun’s exile. In the 35th minute, the nine (!) Celje fans in the stands of the Stockhorn Arena were able to cheer for the first time when Danijel Sturm was able to stroll through the Ticino defense completely unchallenged. A negligently awarded foul penalty before the break and three more goals conceded afterwards made for a hefty bill
Of course, as in the 4-0 defeat in Sion at the weekend, the Luganesi were also unlucky – Uran Bislimi failed to beat the strong goalkeeper in the 2nd minute and Ousmane Doumbia hit the crossbar when the score was 3-0. However, the way the team is currently falling apart cannot please those responsible.
Lausanne in a good starting position
Lausanne followed up the 5:0 gala in the second leg against Vardar Skopje with another solid home performance in the first leg against another opponent from the east. However, the runners-up in the last Kazakh championship made things a little too easy for the Vaud side.
In the 24th minute, Jamie Roche was completely free to shoot from the edge of the penalty area and didn’t need to be asked twice. Kaly Sène had it even easier shortly before the break after the Kazakh defender had bungled a back pass. In the second half, substitute Alban Ajdini scored the third goal. Coach Peter Zeidler only had to be annoyed about the late 3:1 in the 90th minute.
Nevertheless, Lausanne can start the very long journey to Central Asia next Thursday with some peace of mind. In the play-offs, the hurdle is likely to be much higher after Besiktas Istanbul.
