FC Aarau will need a miracle to secure promotion in the barrage against Grasshoppers. The 0:4 and the striking difference in quality in the first leg seem irrefutable.
30.05.2025, 05:30
30.05.2025, 06:46
SDA
Coach Tomas Oral answers the question of what the Grasshoppers can still fail to do after their clear victory in exile in Lugano without hesitation: "Ourselves." The expression on the German's face shows that this is not just something he said. The Zurich side will remain focused to the end and defend their place in the Super League with a knife between their teeth on Friday, just as they did on Tuesday - at least if they follow their coach's words.
GC wanted to quickly tick off the first leg, focus quickly on the second leg and approach the game at Brügglifeld as if it were still 0-0. "It's not finished yet. We have to keep working," Niklas Muci told SRF on behalf of all the GC players, who tackled the thankless task with impressive solidarity and great determination on Tuesday.
For Aarau coach Brunello Iacopetta, intensity was the biggest difference in the first comparison with GC. However, he believes that the home game with his own fans behind him will be very different to Tuesday's performance: "0:4 sounds brutal. But it's only half-time." His players must now believe in themselves and their abilities.
Iacopetta could use a precedent to encourage his team. In 2019, FC Aarau lost the barrage after a 4:0 first leg against Neuchâtel Xamax. What was an Aarau drama back then could serve as a small glimmer of hope. Iacopetta says it was a completely different game. But it is also proof of how quickly the momentum can change sides. For that to happen, however, FC Aarau will have to show a completely different level of conviction on Friday evening than in the first leg, which was sleepy for a long time.
