Lugano started the Conference League with a well-deserved 3-0 win against Finnish underdogs HJK Helsinki.
Antonios Papadopoulos scored with a long-range shot from around 25 meters after half an hour, Martim Marques on the follow-up after just under an hour and Daniel Dos Santos in stoppage time in Thun's exile.
The superior Ticino side, who have great ambitions in the European Cup, missed further chances. Mattia Bottani hit the far post with a shot in the 9th minute, Uran Bislimi made it 1:0 after a quarter of an hour from close range and Renato Steffen shot over the goal from around seven meters before taking the lead.
Despite the missed chances, Lugano's "home win" in the sparsely filled Stockhorn Arena, more than two hours away by bus, was never in danger. In the coming rounds, however, the resistance is likely to be greater. "Of our opponents, there are three teams with a lot of quality and roughly the same level as us. Helsinki is probably the team we really want to beat," said Lugano coach Mattia Croci-Torti in the run-up to the game.
Lugano next travel to Mlada Boleslav on October 24. The Czechs started with a 2-0 defeat against Noah Yerevan in Armenia. The other opponents will be Backa Topola (away), Gent (home), Legia Warsaw (a) and Pafos from Cyprus (h).
Telegram:
Lugano - HJK Helsinki 3:0 (1:0)
Thun. - SR Dickinson (SCO). - Goals: 34. Papadopoulos 1:0. 56. Marques 2:0. 92. Dos Santos 3:0.
Lugano: Saipi; Zanotti, Papadopoulos, Hajdari, Marques (88. El Wafi); Bislimi (65. Dos Santos), Grgic, Belhadj (77. Doumbia); Steffen, Bottani (65. Przybylko), Aliseda (65. Mahou).
HJK Helsinki: Nijhuis; Lyons-Foster, Antzoulas, O'Shaughnessy, Pallas; Bandé, Kökcü (88. Meriluoto), Halme (60. Palumets), Kanellopoulos (75. Tanaka), Hostikka (60. Möller); Erwin (75. Plange).
Remarks: Lugano without Valenzuela and Vladi (both injured). Cautions: 8. Hajdari.
SDA
