Wild barrage thriller GC beats Aarau 2:1 in extra time and stays in the Super League - the highlights in the video

Patrick Lämmle

21.5.2026

Super League side GC finally beat Aarau 2-1 in extra time to stay in the league. Meanwhile, FCA remain in the Challenge League after eleven years.

21.05.2026, 23:15

22.05.2026, 01:01

In extra time, the Grasshoppers finally managed to score that one goal. After over 100 minutes of superiority, it was El Bachir Ngom who redeemed coach Peter Zeidler and the majority of the 18,763 spectators at the Letzigrund. He made it 2:1 from the penalty spot.

The penalty was preceded by an action by Nassim Zoukit - the Aarau player tripped Imourane Hassane in the penalty area and provided the dramatic decision in an already dramatic game.

Two dismissals shortly before the end

Two players had previously been sent off for red cards. At the end of normal time, it was GC player Young-Jun lee who was sent off early for an assault on Aarau's Leon Frokaj.

FCA were unable to take advantage of their brief superiority over the hosts. This was also due to the fact that Aarau's Linus Obexer was sent off in extra time after hitting GC captain Amir Abrashi in the face in an attempt to play the ball.

Meanwhile, the 90 minutes of regular time ended the same way as the first leg. With a draw. The only difference was that, unlike on Monday, one goal was scored by each side and this time it was GC and not Aarau that missed the scoring chances.

Aarau fail to advance again

The scenes after the final whistle were similar to those from just under a week ago. As with the draw against Yverdon-Sport, when direct promotion was lost, the Aarau players slumped to the ground. The only difference was that this time it was definite: Aarau were once again not promoted to the Super League, failing to do so as they had the previous year against Grasshoppers. Eleven years after their relegation, coach Brunello Iacopetta's team will therefore contest a twelfth season in the Challenge League.

Grasshoppers, on the other hand, secured their third consecutive relegation in the barrage under new coach Peter Zeidler. This means that the club will not be relegated for a third time this year. And: it is a result that corresponds to the statistics. In the 17 barrages played so far, the Super League team has won for the twelfth time.

Grasshoppers - Aarau 2:1 (1:1, 1:1) n.V.

18'763 spectators. - SR Schnyder. - Goals: 30. Zvonarek (Lee Young-Jun) 1:0. 44. Filet (Fazliu) 1:1. 110. Ngom (penalty) 2:1.

Grasshoppers: Hammel; Marques (97. Arigoni), Ngom, Köhler, Rissi (46. Ullmann); Meyer; Krasniqi (117. Diarrassouba), Zvonarek (97. Hassane), Jensen (68. Abrashi); Lee Young-Jun, Frey (68. Tsimba).

Aarau: Hübel; Müller, Acquah, Thaler (111. Vladi); Dickenmann (111. Derbaci), Zoukit, Jäckle (46. Frokaj), Obexer; Fazliu (105. Guzzo); Afriyie (65. Koide), Filet (82. Bobadilla).

Comments: 88th red card against Lee Young-Jun (assault). 105th red card against Obexer (rough foul). Cautions: 54 for Zvonarek, 78 for Marques, 85 for Bobadilla, 88 for Frokaj, 91 for Thaler, 118 for Ngom.

The winners' votes

The losers' votes

Grasshopper Club Zurich

Completed

2:1

(1:1)

FC Aarau

Lovro Zvonarek - 1:0 (30.)
Mouhamed El Bachir Ngom - 2:1 (110.)

(44.) 1:1 - Elias Filet

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110.

105.

88.

61.

44.

30.

21.

Carlos Varela's pre-match assessment

The first leg of the barrage on Monday between Aarau and GC ended goalless. The starting position ahead of the second leg at the Letzigrund therefore promises pure excitement. Carlos Varela believes Aarau have a slight advantage. He was impressed by their performance three days after missing out on direct promotion. "They were incredibly ready," said Varela.

As a reminder, Aarau were top of the Challenge League table before the last round. After scoring to make it 2-0 in the 42nd minute, Aarau already looked like a certain promotion contender. However, coach Brunello Iacopetta's team squandered their two-goal lead against Yverdon and were overtaken by Vaduz on the home straight.

"I see Aarau as a better team than GC. But GC has players that Aarau doesn't have, who can make the difference. It's wide open, but Aarau have a slight advantage," summarizes Varela. He expects a similar battle in the second leg as in the first leg.

And: "I expect a reaction from the GC players. What shocked me a bit was that I saw Aarau players who knew what was at stake and I didn't see GC really wanting to save the club."

And what would it mean if GC were to be relegated? "Whether we like GC or not, it will remain the record champions. In every country, the record champions are in the first division. We need GC in the Super League, that's very clear to me. When I'm abroad, I always hear the name GC. But maybe it would even be good for the future if they played in the Challenge League for a year so that they could do a better job in the future."

The highlights from the first leg

120.+5.

End of 2nd half extra time

118.

Yellow card Grasshopper Club Zurich

Mouhamed El Bachir Ngom

117.

Substitution in Grasshopper Club Zurich

Salifou Diarrassouba

End of 2nd half

90.+2.

Yellow card FC Aarau

Marco Thaler

88.

Yellow card FC Aarau

Leon Frokaj

88.

Red card Grasshopper Club Zurich (direct)

Lee Young Joon

85.

Yellow card FC Aarau

Raúl Bobadilla

82.

Substitution in FC Aarau

Michael Frey

Striker

65.

Substitution in FC Aarau

Henri Koide

Striker

65.

Substitution out FC Aarau

Daniel Afriyie

Striker

54.

Yellow card Grasshopper Club Zurich

Midfielder

46.

Kick-off 2nd half

45.+2.

End of 1st half

44.

Goal for FC Aarau, 1:1 through Elias Filet (Valon Fazliu)

Elias Filet

Striker

Assist: Valon Fazliu

Midfielder

30.

Goal for Grasshopper Club Zurich, 1:0 through Lovro Zvonarek (Lee Young Joon)

Lovro Zvonarek

Midfielder

Assist: Lee Young Joon

Striker

Start of the match

Wild barrage thriller GC beats Aarau 2:1 in extra time and stays in the Super League - the highlights in the video

Two dismissals shortly before the end

Aarau fail to advance again

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The winners' votes

The losers' votes

Grasshopper Club Zurich

FC Aarau

Carlos Varela's pre-match assessment