Lugano suffers its first defeat in the third game of the Conference League. The team from Ticino lost 1:4 to the underdog Backa Topola in northern Serbia.
Lugano's slip-up against FK TSC from Backa Topola, who had previously scored no points and no goals, was not to be expected. However, the first defeat and the first goals conceded by the Swiss champions in the competition's new league system were deserved, given the strength of the field in Backa Topola's small but attractive stadium. Petar Stanic and Milos Pantovic each scored twice for the home team, while Mahmoud Belhadj only briefly reduced the deficit for Lugano to 1:2.
Lugano's weak opening phase in particular proved to be their undoing. The Superliga side, who were without in-form attacker Ignacio Aliseda but otherwise rotated very little, were 0:1 down after just four minutes. The score was 0:6 after a quarter of an hour and 1:11 after 30 minutes from the visitors' perspective.
Stanic gave the hosts, who were clearly the better side in the early stages, the lead after four minutes with a magnificent shot from 19 meters into the far corner. The supposedly timely equalizer by Hicham Mahou with the first chance did not count due to offside, and the 1-2 by Belhadj after an hour did not last a minute.
Lugano's battle for a place in the top eight and a direct place in the round of 16 continues in three weeks' time with a home game against Gent. The Belgians picked up their second win against Omonia Nicosia (1-0) on Thursday.
The telegram
Backa Topola - Lugano 4:1 (1:0)
Sundberg (DEN). -
Goals: 4. Stanic 1:0. 59. Pantovic 2:0. 61. Belhadj 2:1. 62. Stanic (Stevanovic) 3:1. 83. Pantovic (Cirkovic) 4:1.
Backa Topola: Ilic; Jovanovic, Djordjevic, Stevanovic, Petrovic; Radin; Djakovac (72. Pejic), Stanic; Banjac (82. Sos), Pantovic (90. Mboungou), Cirkovic.
Lugano: Saipi; Brault-Guillard, Papadopoulos, Hajdari, Marques (64. Valenzuela); Grgic (82. Przybylko), Belhadj (64. Bottani); Steffen, Dos Santos (64. Bislimi), Mahou (73. Cimignani); Vladi.
Remarks: 89th red card against Bottani. Cautions: 46 Radin (suspended for next match), 57 Cirkovic, 58 Belhadj, 70 Hajdari, 70 Jovanovic.
TSC Backa Topola
FC Lugano
- Petar Stanic - 1:0 (4.)
- Milos Pantovic - 2:0 (59.)
- Petar Stanic - 3:1 (62.)
- Milos Pantovic - 4:1 (83.)
- (61.) 2:1 - Hadj Mahmoud
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Liveticker
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Liveticker closed
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89.
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83.
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62.
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61.
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59.
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32.
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14.
Backa Topola hits the post - Lugano in luck
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4.
Stanić puts Backa Topola in the lead with a hammer
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90.+5.End of 2nd half
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90.+2.Substitution in TSC Backa Topola
Prestige Mboungou
Striker
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90.+2.Substitution out TSC Backa Topola
Milos Pantovic
Striker
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90.Yellow card TSC Backa Topola
Bence Sós
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90.Red card FC Lugano (direct)
Mattia Bottani
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83.Goal for TSC Backa Topola, 4:1 through Milos Pantovic (Aleksandar Cirkovic)
Milos Pantovic
Striker
Assist: Aleksandar Cirkovic
Striker
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82.Substitution in TSC Backa Topola
Bence Sós
Striker
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82.Substitution out TSC Backa Topola
Mihajlo Banjac
Striker
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82.Substitution in FC Lugano
Kacper Przybylko
Striker
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82.Substitution out FC Lugano
Anto Grgic
Midfielder
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73.Substitution in FC Lugano
Yanis Cimignani
Midfielder
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73.Substitution out FC Lugano
Hicham Mahou
Midfielder
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72.Substitution in TSC Backa Topola
Aleksa Pejic
Midfielder
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72.Substitution out TSC Backa Topola
Ifet Djakovac
Midfielder
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70.Yellow card TSC Backa Topola
Stefan Jovanovic
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69.Yellow card FC Lugano
Albian Hajdari
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63.Substitution in FC Lugano
Mattia Bottani
Midfielder
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63.Substitution out FC Lugano
Hadj Mahmoud
Midfielder
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63.Substitution in FC Lugano
Milton Valenzuela
Defender
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63.Substitution out FC Lugano
Martim Marques
Defender
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63.Substitution in FC Lugano
Uran Bislimi
Midfielder
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63.Substitution out FC Lugano
Daniel Dos Santos
Midfielder
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62.Goal for TSC Backa Topola, 3:1 through Petar Stanic (Aleksandar Cirkovic)
Petar Stanic
Midfielder
Assist: Aleksandar Cirkovic
Striker
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61.Goal for FC Lugano, 2:1 through Hadj Mahmoud
Hadj Mahmoud
Midfielder
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59.Goal for TSC Backa Topola, 2:0 through Milos Pantovic
Milos Pantovic
Striker
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57.Yellow card FC Lugano
Hadj Mahmoud
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56.Yellow card TSC Backa Topola
Aleksandar Cirkovic
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46.Yellow card TSC Backa Topola
Milán Rádin
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46.Kick-off 2nd half
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45.+3.End of 1st half
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4.Goal for TSC Backa Topola, 1:0 through Petar Stanic
Petar Stanic
Midfielder
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1.Start of the match