FC Lugano, next Thursday's opponent of Club Brugge in the Conference League, went down 2-1 at Grasshoppers Zurich. Besiktas lost by the same figures on the field of Galatasaray. Bodø/Glimt were the only ones able to win this weekend.
Grasshoppers Zurich - FC Lugano 2-1
FC Lugano went down 2-1 on the Grasshoppers Zurich pitch. Lugano had the most ball possession, but it was the home team that drew the longer straw. It was the second consecutive defeat for the visiting team.
The first half was a measure of nothing. There were no goals to be seen. Only with the closing quarter in sight did the match gain momentum. Flank player Schurpf, on an assist from Corbeanu, gave the team from Zurich the lead. Hajdari managed to level the boards again just before the end of the match. The game seemed headed for a draw, but in injury time Ndenge, after another assist from Corbeanu, was able to keep the points in Zurich. Lugano is now in sixth place in their own league, eight points off leader FC Zurich. (EV)
FC Lugano: Saipi, Marques (78' Babic), Hajdari, Lukas Mai, Arigoni (73' Espinoza), Belhadj (72' Cimignani), Sabbatini, Macek (64' Bislimi), Bottani, Vladi (64' Celar), Steffen.
Goals: 71' Schurpf (1-0), 83' Hajdari (1-1), Ndenge 90+3' (2-1).
Galatasaray - Besiktas 2-1
Besiktas lost the topper against Galatasaray 2-1. Thanks to two goals from a strong Icardi, the home team drew the longest in a hard-fought match. A well-started Galatasaray created the first chances of the match, but Angelino and Akturkoglu couldn't get the leather past Mert. Icardi showed his good form and scored the opening goal after 26 minutes. On the half hour, however, Besiktas was already down to ten after a foul on goalkeeper Mert, which made the task on the Galatasaray pitch even more difficult.
Doubling the score was not in the cards for the home side, however, with missed chances for Tete and Sanchez, among others. After the break, substitute Oxlade-Chamberlain brought the boards back into balance after a rare chance for the visitors. With a man more, Galatasaray again went on the attack, resulting in a penalty kick that Icardi converted unerringly to clinch the seventh win in a row for the home side. Besiktas remains fourth in the rankings. (KV)
Besiktas: Mert Gonuk, Zaynutdinov (46' Masuaku), Omar Colley, Amartey, Rosier, Gedson Fernandes (46' Oxlade-Chamberlain), Hadziahmetovic, Bingol (83' Rebic), Rashica (32' Destanoglu), Aboubakar (78' Cenk Tosun), Ghezzal.
Goals: 26' Icardi (1-0), 69' Oxlade-Chamberlain (1-1), 82' Icardi (penalty, 2-1).
Bodø/Glimt - Sandefjord 4-3
Bodø/Glimt secured a spectacular 4-3 victory against Sandefjord on their own field. The visitors, who are in penultimate place in the Norwegian Eliteserien, surprisingly took the lead after 15 minutes. However, Bodø/Glimt's reaction did not take long to materialize. Midway through the first half, the home team actually scored three goals in five minutes, making it suddenly 3-1 in no time. Moumbagna, Zugelj and Gronbaek were the goal scorers. Sandefjord scored the tying goal shortly thereafter, but Saltnes managed the 4-2 at the stroke of halftime. Shortly after the break the visitors were able to counter, but they did not get further than that 4-3. Thanks to this victory Bodø/Glimt remains firmly in the lead. Next Thursday they host Besiktas in the Conference League. (SF)
Bodø/Glimt: Khaikin, Wembangomo (63' Sjovold), Moe, Bjortuft, Bjorkan, Saltnes, Berg, Gronbaek (90' Brunstad Fet), Zugelj (63' Sorli), Moumbagna, Pellegrino (90' Gulliksen).
Goals: 13' Kjaer (0-1), 22' Moumbagna (1-1), 24' Zugelj (2-1), 27' Gronbaek (3-1), 36' Al-Saed (3-2), 45+2' Saltnes (4-2), 53' Dunsby (4-3).