Kwadwo Duah shatters the dream of Chiasso

It seems rhetorical to say that Chiasso comes out of the Swiss Cup but wins their game, and yet that’s the way it is. For all 90 minutes, the rossoblu literally nullify the two categories of difference compared to the San Gallo, scare him, in some circumstances put him under, collect an undeserved goal and find the strength to react and take the challenge to extra time. Fatigue then prevails and on pressing the Super League team finds the point of victory, capable of crushing the brave hosts, who have however tried to the last.

The Riva IV offers itself an evening of great enthusiasm, which is certainly good for the new Vitali-branded Chiasso, who took over from Raineri and is good at getting a championship win and bringing his team to a memorable performance. The coach can only be proud: «I am happy and proud of the performance that the boys have put on the field, of the desire to be united that I hope they have also transmitted to those who came to see us. We had prepared the challenge in this way, knowing that we had to allow few spaces because they could be really dangerous. The attitude of my players made me serene, I saw them a lot in matches. “

The young Chiasso immediately held the field well, managing to harness a San Gallo very well not in his best moment of form. It is not a way of saying but really the difference between two categories has not been seen. The first dangerous action was the Rossoblu brand with an intoxicating initiative by the excellent Correia, then in the final of the first half the challenge was a bit heated with a great chance for Affolter, a stone’s throw from Watkowiak. Before the break, the St. Gallen roared with Mitrovic’s save on a header. If anyone thought that the script would change in the second half, they were wrong: Chiasso was still scary with a kick from Texeira, with a header from Correi from Stevanovic’s corner then with Stevanovic himself, served by Correia. In the 78th minute, however, a cold shower, as Mitrovic escaped the ball after taking it out and Duah, who had been in for a quarter of an hour, found the goal. Over? No, because in the final Chiasso did not give up and almost at the end Farnerud incredibly drew directly from a corner. «A goal conceded like that? Mistakes happen, we had the strength and the good fortune not to give up, and then Farnerud’s skill to score from the corner », comments Vitali.

In extra time, absolutely deserved for Chiasso, the San Gallo, perhaps seized by fear, began to push on the accelerator, showing up a couple of times near Mitrovic with Diakité and Yuahn, before Duah’s goal again. A blow for the rossoblu, who also tried with Said. “In the end the fatigue came out, on a physical level they have something more”, is the summary of the coach. “We had guys on the field who played very few games, they were good but then the fatigue made itself felt.”

But Chiasso comes out of this challenge with new awareness. “We took a step further to try to build this team on a mental level, to understand that we need the mentality of wanting to suffer and always be in the race: that’s what we are looking for, because quality, with the return of all the injured, to the Promotion League is there ».