Bienne-Bienne and Aarau shared six goals in regular time before the Swiss Cup Round of 64 clash spilled into penalties on Saturday. The hosts eventually won 4-2 on spot-kicks after a 3-3 draw at the end of extra time. The result keeps their campaign alive, though the margin of victory says little about how evenly matched the sides were on the day.
I. Aliu opened the scoring in the 62nd minute, followed by R. Baturina's strike in the 81st. S. Chihadeh was sent off in the 82nd, a blow that shifted the balance. Z. Tairi's own goal in the 90th minute brought Aarau level, and L. Maltet restored the lead in stoppage time. Extra time produced two more goals, one at 101 minutes and another at 120-plus-one, before the shootout began.
The penalty routine was brutal from the start. Both sides missed their first two attempts, with misses coming at 120+1 and 120+2. Bienne-Bienne held their nerve after that, converting three consecutive penalties to seal the tie. Aarau could not respond, and the hosts advanced.
Statistics told a story of parity. Bienne-Bienne edged possession at 53 per cent to 47, while both teams registered five shots on target. The hosts generated 85 attacks compared to Aarau's 83, and corners were negligible — two for the home side, none for the visitors. Yellow cards totalled five across the match, with Bienne-Bienne showing two and Aarau three.
The victory moves Bienne-Bienne deeper into the cup. They arrive with momentum, having won their last outing 4-2 against Juventus and followed it with a 1-0 triumph over Zürich II. Aarau's path forward is less certain; they lost 3-0 to Étoile Carouge in their most recent fixture and will need to regroup quickly.