Three more points for FC Sion! The Valais outfit were unstoppable on their home turf against FC Winterthur. A 2-0 victory thanks to goals from Schmied and Djokic. With this positive result, Didier Tholot's men are guaranteed to finish the fourth round of matches in the "Top 4"!

The facts

Under a blazing sun, FC Sion, like their opponents on the day, had to contend with stifling heat. Despite the scorching conditions, the Valaisans were quick to get the game underway. After less than a minute, Théo Bouchlarhem's header at the far post from Nias Hefti's corner just missed the target. A few minutes later, the French striker repeated the trick with a fine right-foot shot that unfortunately went wide.

But Sédun did not stop there. Shortly before the twentieth minute, Berdayes broke down the right and found Sorgic, then Baltazar, inside the sixteen-yard box. Unfortunately, the Brazilian midfielder's shot flew into the stands. The rest of the first half was quieter. Despite Zurich's reaction on the half-hour mark, the score remained level until tea-time, thanks in no small part to the unstoppable Timothy Fayulu.

In the second half, everything happened very quickly. First, the unfortunate Rhoner was forced off with a knee injury. After that, Joël Schmied made the most of a Souza corner to open the scoring with a sumptuous right-foot drive. Two minutes later, the Valaisans found themselves down to eleven men after Baroan was sent off for a foul on Kevin Bua.

Didier Tholot's men then made the most of their two-goal advantage, both on the scoreboard and on the pitch. Even better, they doubled their advantage at the end of the game thanks to Dejan Djokic, who was well set up by Ilyas Chouaref. The result was FC Sion's third win of the season and provisional top spot in the Super League table.

Reactions

Didier Tholot, FC Sion coach

"We played a consistent match. With our heads, but also with our hearts. It was complicated to deal with the heat, but I'm satisfied with what we showed. It was a group victory. We had to make a few changes to spread the effort around and everyone responded.

"A straightforward win? I don't think so, because if we don't score, we're not safe from a 0-0 draw. That goal from a set-piece was really good for us. We didn't panic and the group kept working.

"The results so far have been very positive. We've taken six points at home, with six goals scored and none conceded. That gives us confidence and makes the fans want to come to Tourbillon. I hope there will be even more of them at the next few games.

The line-ups

FC Sion - FC Winterthur 2-0 (0-0)
Sion, Stade de Tourbillon, 9,500 spectators
Referees: Schärer; Erni, Kung; Drmic
Goals: 50' Schmied (1-0), 85' Djokic (2-0).
Warnings: 47' Chiappetta, 60' Bua, 68' Baltazar, 74' Sidler
Sent off: 52' Baroan
FC Sion: Fayulu; Lavanchy, Schmied, Diouf, Hefti; Kabacalman (78' Chipperfield), Baltazar; Bedayes (45' Bua), Chouaref (86' Rusev), Bouchlarhem (45' Souza); Sorgic (70' Djokic).
FC Winterthur: Kuster; Sidler, Lüthi, Lekaj, Diaby (80' Schattin); Zuffi (81' Arnold), Schneider (62' Araz); Rohner (50' Krasniqi), Di Giusto, Chiappetta (62' Gomis); Baroan.
Notes: Sion without Ziegler (injured), Grognuz, Aymon, Tutonda and Godwin (U21).

More news

Time for the Swiss Cup! FC Sion take on SR Delémont next Saturday at 20:00 at the Stade de la Blancherie.

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