FC Aarau defeats FC Luzern in the Cup

The Aarau crowd has rarely been spoiled recently. FC Aarau has been lagging behind in the championship for two years. In the cup, they have shown remarkable performances in recent seasons, but in the end they have never suffered more than honorable defeats.

But on Sunday, Brügglifeld once again experienced one of those highlights that have become so rare. For the first time since 2020 and the victory in the cup round of 16 against Sion, Aarau managed to win against a top-class team. Yes, with the 1-0 win against Lucerne, FC Aarau gave themselves and their fans the most valuable sporting victory in four years.

It was also no longer like in 2021, when ex-Aarau player Varol Tasar scored the decisive goal for Lucerne in the semi-finals. Or like last year, when ex-Aarau player Randy Schneider shot FC Winterthur to victory in the round of 32 in injury time at Brügglifeld.

Yellow-red against Rrudhani paves the way

But it was again an ex-Aarau player who tipped the game out of balance in the final phase. Only this time on the side of FC Aarau. Donat Rrudhani, the head of a spectacular and successful Aarau offensive in the 2021/22 season, rightly saw the yellow-red card in the 71st minute for his second hard foul.

It was the move that paved the way for the FCA to pull off a coup. With a numerical advantage, the underdog took control. The team’s technicians, namely the lively Nikola Gjorgjev and Valon Fazliu, who was substituted for the first time this season in a competitive match after an hour, now found the space they needed. Or as coach Brunello Iacopetta put it: “We had the calm to build up cleanly and get into the opponent’s penalty area in a controlled manner.”

And so FC Aarau scored the decisive goal, a goal that, let’s be honest, had been scored when the scores were level despite a great chance from Linus Obexer that hadn’t really been in the air shortly after the break. After a cross from Gjorgjev, Yannick Touré headed the ball into the goal with no cover eight minutes to go. Iacopetta was particularly happy for Touré, who scored his first goal of the season against Lucerne. “We practiced these situations with him in training, where he can sprint into the penalty area to get into a scoring position.”

But even though Rrudhani’s sending off was necessary, Aarau did not steal the win in any way. They more than earned it with an excellent tactical and combative performance, good defensive order and, for once, the necessary efficiency in attack.

Of course, in the end it also required a bit of luck and the reflexes of goalkeeper Marvin Hübel, who had to intervene three times within seconds after Lucerne’s last standing ball in the 96th minute. The young goalkeeper also became the match winner, not least because he had prevented the visitors from taking the lead after half an hour in a duel against Lucerne striker Thibault Klidjé.

But apart from that, Hübel did not have to intervene very often. And that is perhaps the greatest compliment that can be paid to the Aarau team. They always kept the favored opponent from the Super League at bay. The Lucerne strikers hardly had any balls, also because David Acquah, for example, exceeded himself in central defense and played an outstanding game, and defensive leader Serge Müller showed a clear upward trend compared to the last championship games.

The Lucerne team was actually only dangerous when they were able to switch or counterattack. “We also showed this defensive mentality in the last few games in the championship. “That was definitely an important point on the way to victory,” said Iacopetta.

Next opponent: league rival Carouge

Speaking of the path: Who knows, perhaps FC Aarau is far from having reached the end of its cup path. After the coup against Lucerne, it was drawn against a manageable opponent for the round of 16 from December 3rd to 5th. It will face league rival Etoile Carouge at Brügglifeld. FCA achieved its only victory in the Challenge League so far against the promoted team from Geneva.