Xamax continues and temporarily takes the leader’s seat
“Never two without three” is undoubtedly one of the phrases repeated most by Uli Forte in the last three days, before the reception of Nyon at the Stade de la Maladière. For the Neuchâtelois, the deal was simple: follow up with a new success, after two victories in a row (against Vaduz, 4-1 on August 30 and in Schaffhausen, 1-2 last Friday). And for this 8th day of the Challenge League, the red and black collective started with an identical pattern to last week – in 4-2-3-1 – and made two changes. Scorer against Schaffhausen, Koro Koné recovered the point of the attack, while Salim Ben Seghir positioned himself just behind him, on the left side.
Dominant from the start of the game, it was a diligent Xamax who got the first chance. On the right side, Hussayn Touati managed to cross into the area. Left free of any marking, Fabio Saiz headed the ball but missed his duel with the opposing goalkeeper (9′). In all the good moves in the first half, Touati benefited from a ball poorly passed by the Nyon defense and found himself alone in front of the goalkeeper less than a minute later… but the ball ended up in the side netting. Neuchâtel pushed but did not find the fault and on a new cross poorly pushed back by Tim Spycher, Touati once again saw his shot pushed back in extremis by the last Nyon defender (26′). But, by dominating too much, you sometimes expose yourself to danger. And the Red and Blacks were going to learn this to their cost. On the next move, the visitors’ unique attacking combination in the first half paid off and Leorat Bega crucified Edin Omeragić with a powerful strike from the left of the penalty area (0-1, 27′). Vexed, the Neuchâtelois did not drop the pace, until the whistle signaling the break.
In the second half, Uli Forte’s team sounded the revolt and hope returned when Salim Ben Seghir tried a shot that unfortunately ended up over the frame (52′). But, the wait was to be short-lived for the Neuchâtel crowd and a minute later, the Ben Seghir-Touati duo showed their talent by infiltrating the opposing defense. The number 10 pushed his effort into the area and concluded the opportunity by touching the ball with the tip of his foot (1-1, 53′).
The hardest part was done. At least that’s what we thought before the cold shower came 10 minutes later. On an action coming from the left, Elias Pasche managed to cross. The ball poorly pushed back by the Neuchâtelois benefited Franck Koré who passed back to Badara Diomandé. The Nyon midfielder didn’t need to be asked twice to score the second goal for his team (1-2, 64′).
This time, the Xamaxiens were going to react immediately. Well launched into the race by Shkelqim Demhasaj, who had just come on to replace Koro Koné, Hussayn Touati adjusted his shot and brought the two teams back to level (2-2, 69′).
Touati, probably man of the match and Demhasaj as X factor. The Kosovar striker proved to be more than useful, even indispensable when he received an offering from Fabio Saiz in the centre. His cross shot finally gave Neuchâtel the advantage for the first time in the match (3-2, 74′).
The crowd was jubilant, the visitors were cracking. Xamax flew towards victory, despite a few scares at the very end of the match. First, two chances for Nyon, saved masterfully by Omeragić (89′, 92′), then Saiz’s expulsion (93′). The visitors even believed in equalising a few seconds later, but the referee invalidated it, provoking the anger of the Whites’ bench. The score remained unchanged. Neuchâtel concluded the match with the three points and – not insignificantly – the leader’s place in the provisional Challenge League standings.
