Servette took a narrow victory over Grasshoppers on Friday evening, winning 2-1 in the third round of the Swiss Superliga's regular season. The result keeps both sides in the bottom half of the table, though the gap between them remains tight at just one point. It was a match decided by moments rather than dominance.
Grasshoppers struck first through Amir Abrashi in the 12th minute, capitalising on early pressure. Servette responded with a goal of their own from Samuel Mraz just before the half-hour mark, though the effort to level the score was never straightforward. By then, the game had already turned physical, with three yellow cards falling within a 14-minute spell around the interval.
The turning point came in the 59th minute when Grasshoppers' Hassan Imourane was shown a red card after picking up his second booking. The dismissal shifted the momentum, and Servette took advantage with a late strike from Marco Lambourde in the 75th minute. And here's the thing — the hosts had already created three big chances compared to their visitors' single opportunity, but they needed that second goal to secure the win.
Servette controlled possession at 53 per cent and registered nine shots on target, while Grasshoppers managed only three despite completing more attacks overall. The visitors attempted 22 dribbles compared to Servette's 16, but their shot accuracy of 27 per cent told a different story. To be fair, the red card made recovery nearly impossible after the 75th-minute goal.
Both teams made several substitutions in the second half, with Servette bringing on Bradley Mazikou early in the half while Grasshoppers replaced Abrashi in the 56th minute. The away side lost Bengondo and added Riishi as they searched for an equaliser, but Servette held firm through the closing stages.
With the result, Servette remain on four points from six games in 12th place, while Grasshoppers move to five points and sit one position higher. The win extends Servette's recent poor run of form, though it does little to alleviate their position near the relegation zone.