St. Gallen — Handball Stafa: 31:24, NLA

St-Gallen beat Handball Staafa 31:24 in the National League A on Tuesday evening. The match took place at their home venue on September 16th, and the result settles the evening's business. Two wins and two draws leave them on four points now.

And here's the thing about a scoreline like that — it doesn't lie about who controlled the tempo. Staafa had drawn every game so far, four matches without a loss, but this time they came for a cross they never reached. The visitors were 10th with zero points, and the gap between them and the rest of the table widened.

We had called for the home side at 63 per cent confidence, and the result confirms that reading. They never got out of second gear in the first half, then extended their control. To be fair, Staafa's defensive shape was there, but the finishing was sharper on one side. By then the momentum had shifted, and you could see it in the spacing on court.

The home side sit seventh after four rounds, while the visitors remain rooted at the bottom. Three teams have already picked up wins; Staafa are still searching. Cup football has its own rules, but this league doesn't reward persistence without results.

The two-point gap between seventh and tenth is small on paper, but in handball it feels like a gulf. St-Gallen will make life awkward for anyone meeting them through November. Staafa need to find something different next time out.