Sion’s resilience in Armenia and Lugano’s home dominance shape Conference League path
In a dramatic Thursday evening of Conference League qualifiers, FC Sion showed real character in Armenia while Lugano comfortably out‑classed the Faroe Islands side, securing a 2‑0 home win that puts them in a strong position for the return leg.
FC Sion fought back in the first leg of the third qualifying round at the Abovyan Stadium in Armenia, drawing 2‑2 with Noah Jerewan despite a temporary period of being down to ten men.
The Swiss side fell behind 1‑2 after just half an hour, when defender Nias Hefti received a yellow‑red in the fourth minute for conceding a penalty and a second booking in the 26th minute, leaving the team a man short.
Winsley Boteli had put Sion level at 1‑1 in the 13th minute, and Ilyas Chouaref completed the comeback in the 57th minute; shortly after, Stone Mambo was sent off, and the match finished ten‑against‑ten with no further goals.
Lugano lived up to its favourite status in the home match against Runavik, taking an early lead through Swedish striker Elias Pihlström in the seventh minute and maintaining control for the majority of the game.
The decisive strike came in the 80th minute when Kevin Behrens scored, giving the Swiss side a 2‑0 cushion that will make the second leg on the Faroe Islands more comfortable.
FC Vaduz travelled to southwest Finland for their Conference League qualifier and suffered a narrow defeat, losing 1‑2 to Inter Turku.
An own‑goal by Julian Stark gave Turku the lead, Dejan Sorgic equalised for Vaduz, and Prosper Ahiabu restored Turku’s advantage; a potential equaliser in the 81st minute was ruled out for off‑side, as was an earlier Finnish goal.
The return leg will be staged a week later at Rheinpark Stadion in Vaduz, with kickoff scheduled for 19:30.
Other Thursday evening action included St. Gallen in the Conference League qualifier and Swiss champion Thun taking part in the Europa League qualifier.
The matches were streamed live on srf.ch/sport on 06.08.2026 at 17:55.