FC Luzern end their strong half-year with a spectacular victory. In stoppage time, it turns a 2:3 in Winterthur into a 4:3. Quotes on the crazy game.
Right at the end, FC Luzern were rewarded for their storming run in the final minutes of the match. Just when it seemed to be jinxed, Severin Ottiger scored in the 92nd minute after another Lucerne advance into the Winterthur penalty area to make it 3:3. The Central Swiss team doubled their lead with the very next attack after the kick-off. The unsettled Winterthur team looked very poor and were also unlucky that Donat Rrudhani shot at team-mate Adrian Grbic in such a way that the ball became unstoppable.
The Lucerne side thus ended the game, which they had let slip after taking an early 1:0 lead with Thibault Klidjé's eighth goal of the season and Rrudhani's 2:1, with three points. Winterthur, for whom points would have been so good, came away empty-handed, partly because they allowed themselves to be pinned back too much in the final phase.
Great frustration at Winti
"I just feel incredibly sorry for the team," said FCW coach Ognjen Zaric after the last game before the winter break. "We were so close to three points today. Then you have to take at least one with you. Now it's good for us all to be able to clear our heads."
The 35-year-old Winti professional Fabian Frei described the manner of the defeat as "one of the bitterest things" he has experienced in his career. After the game, the veteran had a discussion with some angry FCW fans. "Most of them supported us and saw that we really left our hearts on the pitch today and simply lost unhappily at the end," said Frei.
"Then you always have individuals who feel they could do better. I understand the frustration. I'm not angry with them because they have emotions. They come to watch every game, away and at home." Frei continued: "There's no point in discussing it too much. There are emotions involved."
Happy Lucerne
The mood of the visitors from central Switzerland is completely different. No wonder, the last time a Super League team achieved such a late turnaround was over seven years ago.
"We can be immensely proud of ourselves, of our season with 29 points. We can continue like this in the second half of the season," emphasizes Severin Ottiger. The defender is optimistic about the rest of the season: "We have quality, we can play great games." With the last-minute win, FCL moved up to 3rd place in the table, at least overnight.
"We were lucky that they didn't close the bag. And what happened in stoppage time is indescribable. There are no words for it," said Lucerne coach Mario Frick. The Liechtenstein native grinned, saying that the game had aged him a few years. "We were seventh in the table in the 90th minute, now we're third - it's a crazy championship," says the 50-year-old. The team has proven that it has mentality and morale.
"That will give us a huge boost for the second half of the season. We'll stay on the ground. We're at the front. Nobody thought we could do that before the season. That's why we're having a really nice vacation now," says Frick. His conclusion: "It's the best preliminary round in the Remo Meyer era - that's something to be proud of." Nevertheless, Frick does not want to declare his team the championship favorites just yet. They already have ambitions, but it is important to remain humble, the FCL coach emphasizes.
