“I’ve never had such a shameful experience as a coach”: Mario Frick settles accounts with his team after Sion’s fury
FCL coach Mario Frick went “all in” with a five-way substitution against Sion – and still had to accept a 2-4 defeat. After a wild game in which two sides, an own goal and a Sorgan goal, he speaks of a “disgraceful performance, from A to Z”.
FC Sion – FC Luzern 4:2 (2:0)
The game report
The Stade de Tourbillon has been at the base of the two Sion castles since 1968, but the stadium has hardly experienced anything like this on Sunday – and that’s saying something. FCL coach Mario Frick substituted at least five players at half-time against FC Sion. In the end it didn’t help, his team from Lucerne left the field with a 2:4 win. “It’s like when you gamble everything away in the casino,” says Mario Frick. “If you only have 200 francs left and you throw it in because you think: you have nothing left to lose anyway.”
It soon became clear that the game in Valais would not be easy. Only two minutes had passed when ex-Luzerner Dejan Sorgic headed the ball into the goal for the first time. Lucerne defenders Jesper Löfgren, Andrejs Ciganiks and Stefan Knezevic are just spectators.
Sion is in control of the game, FCL floats defensively and hardly happens offensively. It wasn’t until the 14th minute that Zion were challenged for the first time. Numa Lavanchy saves just in front of the line after Lars Villiger deflects a shot from the turn. On the other hand, there is nothing to save: after Pius Dorn’s mistake, Ilyas Chouaref is dusted in the 18th minute. The Sion player moves unhindered in front of goal and fills into the left corner.
“Everything was underground”
Sion can lean back with this 2-0 lead. Mario Frick’s team can hardly find any method against the highly ranked Sitteners, their own game structure seems erratic and characterized by bad passes. “Today everything was underground,” says Frick. “We are playing on the best pitch in Switzerland and we cannot connect three or four passes together.” His team made “so many stick mistakes, so many technical mistakes”. “I can’t explain it,” says Frick. He had to analyze what went wrong.
One thing is clear: Chouaref, who got stuck in the opponent’s half, probably played a big part in the mistakes. So it’s no surprise that Ciganiks just knows how to help himself with a frustrated foul in the 38th minute. This is not without consequences: The Latvian received his fourth yellow card and will be missing against YB in just under two weeks. If you add the goals and the short-term absence of Luca Jaquez - the defender vomited several times before the game – this is the fourth piece of bad news before the break.
The voices: “We deserved to lose”
The players were very proud after the victory in Valais. Stefan Knezevic summed it up well when he said: “We came with the will to win this game. But honestly, we deserved to lose.” The central defender, who took over as captain after Pius Dorn replaced him at half-time, criticized the performance of the whole team: “In terms of performance, you could have come replaced all eleven players after the first half, not just five.”
“We seem to play more freely when we are behind,” Knezevic tried to explain this phenomenon. However, he does not know why this is so: “I cannot explain why we suddenly start playing football when we are behind. That really shouldn’t be the case.”
The telegram
Sion – Lucerne 4:2 (2:0)
Tower: 2. Circa 1:0. 18. Chouaref 2:0. 49. Click 2:1. 59. Jump 2:2. 61. Löfgren (own goal) 3:2. 89. Chouaref 4:2.
Lucerne: Loretz (46. Vasic); Ottiger, Löfgren, Knezevic, Ciganiks (46. Ulrich); Dorn (46. Spadanuda), Stankovic, Rrudhani, Winkler (46. Owusu); Villiger (46. Grbic), Klidjé.
Sion: Fayulu; Lavanchy, Schmied, Diouf, Hefti; Kabacalman (84. Kronig), Costa, Chipperfield (71. Souza), Berdayes (77. Bouchlarhem), Chouaref; Sorgic (71. Bouriga).
Notes: Winless Sion and Moulin (injured). Lucerne without Beka, Beloko, Chader, Karweina (injured), Jaquez and Kadak (sick). – Warnings: 38. Ciganiks. 46. Sorca. 56. Blacksmith. 86. Otter. 93. Fayulu.
The recent match between FC Sion and FC Lucerne at the Stade de Tourbillon highlighted several issues for the Lucerne team, culminating in a disappointing 2:4 defeat. Coach Mario Frick’s decision to substitute at least five players at half-time reflects the urgency and frustration within the squad, as his team appeared disorganized and ineffective on the field.
Sion struck early, with Dejan Sorgic scoring in the second minute, quickly putting FC Lucerne on the back foot. Despite a brief challenge from Lucerne around the 14th minute, the Sion team maintained control, adding another goal soon after. Frick acknowledged the team’s poor performance, stating, “Today everything was underground,” indicating a lack of cohesion and technical skill. His criticism extended to numerous mistakes that marred their gameplay.
The match saw Lucerne struggling to formulate a response, with a lack of methodical play leading to a chaotic and ineffective first half. The consequences of these failures were compounded by disciplinary issues, as key defender Andrejs Ciganiks received a yellow card which ruled him out for the upcoming match against YB.
In the aftermath of the game, players expressed a mix of frustration and disbelief at their performance. Captain Stefan Knezevic articulated that the team seemed to play more freely only when trailing, though the reason for such a mentality shift was unclear to him.
the match served as a wake-up call for FC Lucerne, prompting calls for self-analysis and improvements as they look to rectify their issues in future matches.