FC Winterthur also managed an important victory in the cantonal duel because GC lost a lot of ground in the second half. Here come the notes.
The most important thing in brief
- FC Winterthur beats GC 1-0 with a late goal.
- Zaric’s team doesn’t show a brilliant performance, but in the end they get three important points.
- GC drops off after the break and shows astonishing defensive deficiencies.
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In the basement derby, bottom club FC Winterthur prevailed against cantonal rivals GC. A late goal ensures the decision on the Schützenwiese. For Winti, the 1-0 win is an important liberation, as GC slips back into the relegation battle.
FC Winterthur
No, the grade is not for the game itself, the grade is for the win and the three points won. The Winterthur team can first and foremost thank their goalkeeper Stefanos Kapino. The goalie kept his team in the game in the first half: both with Paskotsi’s header, Morandi’s shot and Ndenge’s top chance, which Kapino directed to the post.
Big chances for Winti before the break – none. Unless we count Arnold’s walk through half of the GC defense and his shot next to the goal. Even after the break, Winterthur didn’t conjure up a gourmet menu on the pitch.
Arnold played a really good game in defense: he goes into every duel without compromise and always has good ideas to drive the game forward. The veterans Zuffi and Frei kept calm in the first half when GC was in control.
After the break, the Zaric boys got more involved in the game and substitute Burkart made the first claims, but his deflected shot whizzed past the post. Then Winterthur coach Ognjen Zaric has a good game-winning idea: he brings Baroan on for Bajrami.
He starts to attack, makes the GC defenders look ancient and scores the celebrated 1-0. This goal brings victory in a game that actually ended in a tired 0-0. For Winterthur, this victory before the national team break is worth its weight in gold.
But it remains clear that it will be a rocky road to staying in the league. It’s rare that the opponent loses as much in the second half as they did on Saturday evening, which makes it all the more important that Winti took advantage of the moment.
GC
It all started quite reasonably: GC was the better team in the first half and had to be in the lead at the break. It is difficult to understand how Tsi Ndenge cannot take advantage of his opportunity.
The final touch is simply missing – perhaps even the unconditional will to score the first goal. And some of the newcomers have not yet been able to confirm that they are definitely a reinforcement for GC. The Canadian Choinière certainly couldn’t live up to expectations. Kittel had some good approaches, but then there was still some punch missing.
Defender Abels should perhaps watch a Champions League game during the week and observe how a modern full-back plays. What he delivers is at the lowest edge of mediocre. GC could also rely on a junior who would hardly do any worse. Abel’s behavior when conceding a goal had nothing to do with defending. This means he will no longer have the right to play from the start in the future!
Ndenge is emblematic of Saturday’s GC performance. He starts well, has a lot of ball contact, squanders his top chance and then basically disappears from the scene.
The fact that GC had almost no chance of scoring in the second half, apart from a deflected Morandi shot, speaks for itself. For the Hoppers it was a tired kick to forget after the break.
The whole team, especially the defenders, should take a closer look at the goal they conceded; worse defending is almost impossible.
After the point against cup winner Servette and the victory against the champions in Bern, this defeat is a setback that hurts the Hoppers. After the Nati break there will be the Zurich city derby against FCZ. Then GC has the opportunity to make the fans happy again with a derby win.
