Leaders Vaduz lose in Yverdon

Vaduz seemed to have everything under control after the early opening goal by the Austrian Marcel Monsberger in the 5th minute, until captain Nicolas Hasler unwillingly found himself in the spotlight for the first time: after he was brought down in the penalty area, the referee awarded a foul penalty, which Antonio Marchesano confidently converted to make it 1-1 before the end of the first half-hour.

In the 79th minute, veteran Hasler completed his personal nightmare when he unfortunately headed a cross from Yverdon captain Anthony Sauthier into his own goal. It was the first time in 31 games in which Vaduz had taken a 1-0 lead that the Liechtenstein side had left the pitch as losers.

Vaduz's defeat brings new tension to the promotion race. First-placed Aarau could draw level on points with six rounds to go if they win away at Bellinzona on Saturday. The gap between third-placed Yverdon and the leaders is probably too big at twelve points: for the Vaud side, however, this victory will serve as a perfect morale boost for the Cup semi-final against FC St. Gallen the Sunday after next.

In the other two Friday games of the 30th round, Neuchâtel Xamax celebrated a clear 4:1 home win against Stade Nyonnais, while Etoile-Carouge and Lausanne-Ouchy drew 1:1.