Morandi deceives Vachoux from the penalty spot for 2-2.
Martin Meienberger/freshfocus
The Challenge League is not yet promised to Stade Lausanne Ouchy, but it is inevitably destined for it. Especially because the Vaudois undoubtedly missed the best opportunity to believe in it again, by failing to beat Grasshopper, its predecessor in the ranking, on Saturday at Letzigrund. They could have come back to four points, but the 3-2 defeat conceded in the 90th minute leaves them ten points with four matches remaining in the season.
And yet, twice, the question deserved to be asked: what if the Pontaise team was not completely dead? What if she could refuse the inevitable? Firstly because this pigeon wing goal from Lucas Pos, from a corner from Gharbi, made us believe in it (21st). Even if all this was a bit against the flow of play, after an early match where GC pushed, without scoring.
But undoubtedly in recent weeks, SLO has little to envy of this GC, frankly limited. And in a duel at the bottom of the table, we should not predict anything: quite a destiny can be ‘reverse on nothing. Like this moment, just before the break, when Morandi sent a little lobbed ball to the edge of the area: Asumah Abubakar beat Vachoux’s exit and was able to equalize for the first time.
A penalty for 2-2
A first time? Yes, because SLO was going to lead a second time in the score. Even though Grasshopper was once again more active (three goals canceled throughout the game), it was the Lausanne players who were more concrete: a magnificent twenty-meter strike from Elies Mahmoud from the right side gave them the advantage (62nd). Shortly before Pos committed a foul in the area and allowed Giotto Morandi to return to 2-2.
A game-changing equalization. Because it forced Ricardo Dionisio’s team, it forced its destiny. She will not have succeeded. Worse: just after a great opportunity for Gharbi in the 88th minute, Mahmoud was sent off for a second yellow card. And, in the process, Giotto Morandi scored the decisive goal, the one which will probably end up sending Stade Lausanne back to the Challenge League. Even if nothing stops him from still believing in it.
