
Lucerne keep pace with leaders Lugano in the Super League. The central Swiss team won 2-0 at home against St. Gallen without youngster Luca Jaquez, who was willing to transfer.
Adrian Grbic, who scored twice in the 3-1 win against FC Zurich a week ago, finished off a Lucerne counter-attack in the 41st minute after a perfect assist from Thibault Klidjé. A second goal from Stefan Knezevic before the break was disallowed for offside, but Tyron Owusu made it 2-0 in the 85th minute. It was the 21-year-old's first goal in the Super League.
Luca Jaquez was missing from the Lucerne squad due to "transfer talks", as coach Mario Frick confirmed before the match. According to media reports, a transfer of the 21-year-old to Lille in Ligue 1 is imminent. In Jaquez's place in central defense, 20-year-old Bung Hua Freimann made his starting eleven debut alongside Knezevic, who was substituted at half-time with an injury.
St. Gallen's new signing Jean-Pierre Nsame was also unable to prevent the eastern Swiss side's second defeat against Luzern after squandering a 2-0 lead in September (2:3). The three-time Super League top scorer, who is under contract with Como and returned to Switzerland from a loan spell in Poland, remained inconspicuous after coming on as a substitute in the 57th minute.
Meanwhile, Chadrac Akolo is set to leave the club. The five-time St. Gallen goalscorer was not on the match sheet at the start of an English Super League week.
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Luzern - St.Gallen 2:0 (1:0)
14'360 spectators. - SR Cibelli. - Goals: 41st Grbic (Klidje) 1:0. 85th Owusu (Dorn) 2:0.
Luzern: Loretz; Dorn, Knezevic (46. Löfgren), Freimann, Ciganiks; Stankovic; Owusu, Rrudhani (80. Karweina), Winkler; Klidje (80. Chader), Grbic (80. Villiger).
St.Gallen: Zigi; Vandermersch, Ambrosius, Stanic, Okoroji; Toma (57. Nsame), Görtler (68. Fazliji), Stevanovic, Csoboth (57. Mambimbi); Witzig (82. Faber); Geubbels (68. Cissé).
Remarks: Luzern without Jaquez (before transfer). 57. debut of Nsame for St. Gallen. Cautions: 29th Toma, 45th Stanic, 79th Rrudhani, 94th Dorn.