Zürich II hosted Grand-Saconnex in the ninth round of the 1. Liga Promotion, and the visitors claimed a 2:1 victory away from home. The result moved the Swiss side further clear of the bottom half while Grand-Saconnex tightened their grip on the upper table.
S. Mahar gave the hosts an early lead from the spot in the thirty-first minute. It was a sharp start for Zürich II, who had been averaging just over a goal a game in their last five fixtures. And here's the thing — penalties tend to settle nerves, and Mahar did exactly that.
Grand-Saconnex responded quickly through V. Rahimi at the forty-minute mark. The visitors were not the sort to let an early setback sit with them, and they equalised before the interval. By then the game had already shifted direction.
F. A. Lopes Correia provided the decisive blow in the sixty-ninth minute. He finished well to put the visitors ahead for good, and Zürich II could not find a response. The home side played the second half a man down on hope.
The result leaves Grand-Saconnex fifth on fifteen points from eight matches, with five wins and three defeats. Zürich II remain tenth with eleven points after three wins, two draws and three losses. The gap between them is now four points rather than two.
Grand-Saconnex's recent run included three consecutive clean sheets before this match, while Zürich II had drawn their last outing 2:2 with Kreuzlingen. The visitors had also beaten Kreuzlingen 1:0 away earlier in September. To be fair, both sides have been inconsistent away from home this season.
