One day after the 2-0 Challenge League win against Xamax, FC Aarau played a test match - against Saudi champions Al-Hilal. The FCA's B team "only" loses 0:6 against Simone Inzaghi's starting eleven.
Sergej Milinkovic-Savic, Kalidou Koulibaly, Theo Hernández, Darwin Núñez, João Cancelo, Ruben Neves, Bono - the list of big names goes on and on when you look at the Al-Hilal squad. These are top stars who have played in the best leagues and the biggest stadiums in the world.
The coach: Simone Inzaghi, who was still coaching Inter Milan in the Champions League final at the end of May (Inter lost 5-0 to PSG). They, who followed the call of money and moved to the desert for high-paying contracts, were guests at the Brügglifeld in Aarau on Sunday.
How did this come about? Al-Hilal are holding their training camp in Donaueschingen, a small German town near the Swiss border. A German agency asked FC Aarau whether they would be interested in a mini-tournament with Hellas Verona and Al-Hilal at the Brügglifeld. FCA agreed, but the Italians backed out. That left the test match against the Saudi champions, with whom Neymar was still under contract until January.
The top stars for five quid
The Challenge League team against the star ensemble from Riyadh with an estimated squad market value of around 235 million euros. Normally, smaller clubs have to pay for test matches against big opponents that attract large crowds and thus generate high revenue figures. But because FCA was approached by the agency, the club from Aargau was not asked to pay.
Fans don't have to dig deep into their wallets to watch Theo Hernández, Darwin Núñez and co. either. A standing place costs 5 francs, a grandstand seat 15 francs. In the run-up to the match, Aarau were not sure whether the game would be sold out. Especially as there was also criticism because this traditional regional club was inviting a club that is affiliated to the Saudi state fund (PIF) and has almost unlimited financial resources at its disposal.
Full Brügglifeld - little spectacle
But the Brügglifeld is indeed packed on this Sunday evening. In sweltering heat, 8,450 spectators watch this special test match - the stadium is sold out. But there is hardly any atmosphere. The "Aarau scene", which normally cheers its team on loudly, is not there. Possibly because the season tickets are not valid for this game.
Even on the pitch, things are not high and mighty. The visitors' stars remain pale for long stretches. Although there is half a world selection in the Al-Hilal starting eleven (including Bono, Koulibaly, Cancelo, Hernandez, Neves, Milinkovic-Savic, Malcom), it is more difficult than expected against Aarau's B team. The FCA, who won 2-0 against Xamax on Saturday, are resting their regulars. Not a single player who was in the starting eleven on Saturday will be on the pitch on Sunday.
So Al-Hilal also needed the help of Aarau to make things clear: the Challenge League side scored twice in their own goal. Milinkovic-Savic's header was virtually the only playful highlight of the first half. When the Saudi club made eight changes in one fell swoop in the second half, the air was finally out. In the end, Al-Hilal clearly won 6:0. Ex-Liverpool striker Darwin Núñez also scored on his debut.
Ultimately, from Aarau's point of view, it was a test match that will certainly be remembered for a while. But not because of what was shown on the pitch.
