The new coach of Grasshoppers, Tomas Oral, is supposed to save the struggling record champions from relegation. Things looked good for a long time in the basement duel against Winterthur. At the end of the game, however, the Hoppers are once again very frustrated.
No time? blue News summarizes for you
- The Grasshoppers only manage a 1-1 draw against Winterthur in the first match under new coach Tomas Oral.
- Winterthur equalize in stoppage time through Remo Arnold. GC remain last after 15 Super League rounds.
Even the hot-blooded Marco Schällibaum was wearing a down jacket in his last appearances. So the surprise is all the greater when new GC coach Tomas Oral makes his debut on the touchline at the Letzigrund in a black sweater in freezing temperatures. For a long time, the 51-year-old German remained in this scanty attire, only putting on a light jacket towards the end of the game.
So is Oral steeled for the relegation battle? Does he have the inner fire to breathe new life into the struggling club? The new man has at least gone down well with the players.
"There's more energy," says goalkeeper Justin Hammel, explaining the effect Oral should have: "That we want to fight back against the situation we're in." Nikolas Muci on the new boss: "A lot has changed," concludes the striker. There were many things they worked on this week. "The focus was on mentality, the transition game and the volume of running."
Emotional ups and downs
In the first 45 minutes, GC put in a promising performance under Tomas Oral. One flaw, however: only one of the Hoppers' nine shots was on target.
After an hour, the opening goal for the record champions was in the air. But attacker Evans Maurin's shot is cleared off the line. It seems to be jinxed. To make matters worse, Ayumu Seko raises his arms in his own penalty area, Winti's Nishan Burkart gratefully accepts the invitation, holds his face and falls - referee Anojen Kanagasingam points to the spot.
Victim Burkart immediately takes a run-up himself ... and fails against Justin Hammel. The 23-year-old is living up to his reputation as a penalty horror: he has already saved four out of fifteen penalties in the Super League.
Hopes of an important escape in the relegation battle - opponents Winterthur have a two-point lead in the table - are therefore still intact. In the 75th minute, Oral sent Nikolas Muci onto the pitch. His joker scored just three minutes later. A happy ending beckons.
Victory was indeed within reach. After all, Winterthur have not won any of their last 14 games in the league after trailing 1-0. The 21-year-old Muci negligently missed a good chance to counter-attack.
Winterthur coach Ognjen Zaric wants to substitute Remo Arnold, but leaves the tall midfielder on the pitch - and Arnold, of all people, scores the equalizer in stoppage time.
Balance of horror
At the end of the game, the Grasshoppers have taken 19 shots (a season high for the club), but remain stuck at the bottom of the table. They have been winless in seven league games. 10 points after 15 games is GC's lowest tally in a Super League season. In the 2018/19 relegation season, it was even 17 at this point.
GC's situation therefore remains critical. "It's very unfortunate that we ended up conceding a goal like that. The team has to work on its stability and have the belief that you can win games like this," said Oral after the match. The fact is, however, that the team has let too much slip in recent weeks. "You can't expect to be rewarded right away at the push of a button," he emphasized.
In an interview with blue Sport, the German also revealed the secret as to why he didn't mind the cold. In addition to adrenaline, one thing was mainly responsible - a sweater with integrated heating.
Next Saturday, the derby against FC Zurich is on the agenda. The GC fans hope that their hearts will finally be warmer. They have already experienced (too) much hot air in the recent past.
