Ex-Borussia player in the thick of it! This club are unstoppable right now

Ex-Borussia player in the thick of it! This club are unstoppable right now “Hats off to the team for the way we’re fighting—we need to keep it up,” Antonios Papadopoulos told ‘Kicker’ last weekend. The former Dortmund player had just helped FC Lugano beat Basel 2–1. But is a win like that still anything special for the Swiss side these days? A glance at the Super League table raises some doubts. FCL have won eleven of their twelve league games this season, drawing just once. Their rivals, meanwhile, can only look on in amazement. Coach Mattia Croci-Torti’s team are already nine points clear of second-placed Bern. The Bianconeri have won most of their games by huge margins. Lugano have recorded five victories by three goals or more. Things could hardly be going better in Europe either. After coming through qualifying, the Swiss side made a perfect start to the Conference League. Following a 3–2 home win over Red Star Belgrade in their opener, FCL promptly put five past LaLiga club Getafe on matchday two (5–2). They also cruised to a 3–0 win over Lithuanian club Kauno Zalgiris and sit top of the UECL table with a perfect record. But what is behind this sudden, almost flawless start to the season? “The team chemistry is outstanding, training is great fun, and the lads throw themselves at every ball,” says Papadopoulos, who plays alongside former Dresden defender Lukas Mai, attempting to explain their current form. Another factor is likely the consistently good work coach Mattia Croci-Torti has been doing at the Swiss club since 2021. Since taking charge, he has improved Lugano’s points-per-game average every year bar one. After finishing second, fourth and third in recent seasons, they now look set to make the big leap to the top of the table. Thanks in part to a transfer bargain. Dereck Moncada—son of Honduras legend Maynor Figueroa—arrived from Inter Bogotá for three million in the summer and made an immediate impact. At just 18, he leads FCL’s scoring charts. Moncada has already scored eight goals and provided four assists in his 21 appearances this season. The new stadium may also be another factor behind their success. The AIL Arena opened its doors in the summer of 2026 and has so far helped FCL double their average attendance. While just under 3,000 fans attended matches last season, that figure is currently just over 7,000, according to official club figures. The home section has sold out for almost every game so far. “With the new stadium, we have no more excuses,” captain Renato Steffen told ‘Watson’ before the season. Perhaps that is the real secret behind their incredible run. Lugano simply do not want to have to explain a defeat. If only football were always that simple... This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇩🇪 here.