SC Cham loses 1-2 to GC in the Swiss Cup Round-of-16

SC Cham put up a courageous fight in the Cup Round of 16. But the Grasshoppers won 2-1 thanks to two early and spectacular goals.

The 3,427 spectators at the Eizmoos in Cham were treated to an exciting Round-of-16 Swiss Cup match against the Grasshoppers club from Zurich, although the increasingly dense fog severely limited visibility on the pitch. The match didn't start as SC Cham had hoped: In the 18th minute, Austrian GC striker Maximilian Ullmann fired a left-footed volley into the top corner to give the Super League side a 1-0 lead. The long pass came from Samuel Marques.

But that wasn't all: Just three minutes later, the ball was in the back of the net again, this time from GC captain Dirk Abels. The defender was able to tap in a precise corner from Jonathan Asp Jensen in the 21st minute. Despite the early 2-0 deficit, coach Pascal Nussbaumer's men weren't discouraged. Cedric Franek immediately tried to emulate the higher-league professionals and fired a shot towards the Zurich goal. The ball flew just wide of the outside of the post.

Cham goalkeeper Nico Stucki in action.   Photo: Nico Ilic/Freshfocus
 

Missed chance for Cham striker Vögele
Just seconds later, Cham striker LaurinVögele had an even better opportunity to make it 1-2. But the lightning-fast 21-year-old was thwarted by Zurich goalkeeper Justin Hammel, who made a brilliant reflex save. Gerald Scheiblehner's team was now on notice. One thing is clear: the Promotion League side must not be underestimated. As is well known, Zug had already knocked FC Lugano, from the top division, out of the cup competition this season.

At the start of the second half, Cham once again threatened offensively. Marin Wiskemann fired over the bar after a header from Matteo Pasquarelli. Visibility wasn't improving, and to make matters worse, Grasshoppers were playing in an unusual green kit, while Cham were in their traditional red jersey and blue shorts. The contrast in the two teams' kits could have been more striking for the spectators.

Cham coach Nussbaumer makes bold substitutions
Cham coach Pascal Nussbaumer tried to inject more attacking impetus into his team in the final stages of the match. In the 70th minute, he substituted former Lucerne striker Eric Tia Chef for Marin Wiskemann, and in the 78th minute, forward Marvin Bieri replaced centre-back Mario Bühler. Cham refused to give up, desperately trying to pull a goal back. However, Grasshoppers stood firm. Gerald Scheiblehner had by now prepared them to protect their two-goal lead.

But the Zurich professionals did launch occasional counter-attacks from their compact defensive formation. In the 89th minute, substitute Samuel Krasniqi even had a double scoring opportunity. First, he was denied from close range by Cham goalkeeper Nico Stucki, and seconds later, his shot went wide of the right post.

Penalty goal in the 91st minute comes too late
In the 90th minute, hope flickered once more at the Eizmoos: Abdoulaye Diaby caught Florian Schuler in the head with his foot, and referee Johannes von Mandach pointed to the spot. Substitute Joel Ris took the ball and converted the penalty to make it 1-2 (91st minute). But the goal in stoppage time came too late, and the Grasshoppers held on for the remainder of the match. The Zurich fans celebrated the visitors' advancement to the quarterfinals with flares. Despite their elimination, third-division Cham can be proud of their performance.

After the cup match, 40-year-old SC Cham coach Pascal Nussbaumer was not satisfied with the result, but he was pleased with his team's courageous performance: "We believed that after Lugano, we could also beat Grasshoppers. It's a shame for us that we only scored the goal to make it 1-2 so late. We put in a good performance, especially in the second half. This cup season has given the amateur players unforgettable moments against Super League teams. We want to experience such highlights in the cup again next season," he said.

Match telegram
Cham – Grasshoppers 1:2 (0:2)
Eizmoos. – 3,427 spectators. - Referee: von Mandach.
Goals: 18. Ullmann (Marques) 0:1. 21. Abels (Corner Jensen) 0:2. 91. Ris (penalty) 1:2.
Cham: Stucki; Loosli, Bühler (78' Bieri), Niederhauser, Schuler; Bajric, Franek, Pauli (59' Lujic); Pasquarelli (59' Flühmann); Wiskemann (70' Tia Chef), Vögele (59' Ris). -
Grasshoppers: Hammel; Abels (61' Decarli), Diaby, Stroscio; Marques (83' Creti), Zvonarek (61' Meyer), Mantini, Ullmann; Jensen (76' Krasniqi); Plange (61' Diarrassouba), Muci. -
Notes: Cham without Gehrig and Lang (both injured). Grasshoppers without Abrashi, Clemente, Lee, Lupi, Arigoni, Bettkober and Paloschi (all injured). -
Cautions: 36' Bühler, 63' Stroscio, 64' Wiskemann, 77' Bajric (all for fouls).