For the first time, the Swiss champions in women’s football have been crowned in play-off mode. Whit Monday offers first-class entertainment, the very best advertising for this mode – and gives the FCZ the double.
Zurich match winners: Fabienne Humm (left) and Theresa Höbinger, who converted the decisive penalty.
Whit Monday has brought great drama to Swiss football – the men’s cup final was often played then. This time it was the women of FC Zurich and Servette who provided the best entertainment in a game with cup character. The two strongest teams in the Women’s Super League met in Lausanne in the first play-off final in history – and showed that this format can enrich football.
The final in front of at least 2,642 spectators in Lausanne provided the media spotlight that this championship often lacks. And it offered the very best advertisement for how attractive and entertaining women’s football can be in Switzerland. The duel provided enough material to make a meaningful Netflix documentary set to heart-pounding music. Although probably even the cinematic hotshot Christopher Nolan would have said at some point: But now it’s good with the twists in the script.
Moser and the cheesy farewell
There were many players pushing into the lead role. Martina Moser for example, the pioneer and former record capper in the last match of her career. Moser, 36, equalized with a penalty eight minutes before the end. In the penalty shoot-out, she could have put the finishing touches as the fifth FCZ shooter. She failed – and a few seconds later she was still able to celebrate the title. She said: “It’s pretty cheesy that I can stop with the double.”
In a spectacular, high-quality final, the FCZ defeated the qualification winner Servette after a magnificent football game with a score of 2:2 after 120 minutes with 5:4 penalties. And ensured the third FCZ title within a few weeks after winning the women’s cup and the men’s championship title.
It didn’t look as if the Zurich women would experience this new highlight for a long time. Servette led twice, hit the crossbar twice. And yet, at the end of the day, only tears remained for the women of Geneva. The first time they flowed in the 61st minute, with the young midfielder Michèle Schnider. Schnider, only 21, made it 1-0 for Servette early on and could have decided the game with several great chances. Instead, she justifiably flew off the field after an hour with yellow and red.
In any case, yellow cards played an important role for Servette in these play-offs. In the second leg of the semi-final against Basel, Servette only saved himself in extra time three minutes before the end and then prevailed in the penalty shoot-out. In the closing stages, Captain Sandy Maendly, Servette’s most important individual by far, was cautioned, resulting in a yellow card suspension. Maendly, who will end her career in the summer after the European Championships in England, was absent in this final, and the cup winners FCZ were favoured.
The FCZ as a deserved champion
But somehow the Zurich team didn’t seem to have received the corresponding memo, they appeared strangely passive, in a way that is not actually known from this team under the strict, demanding coach Inka Grings. But FCZ showed character, equalized twice and had better nerves in the penalty shoot-out. The Zurich women are a deserved, a logical champion. They had posted a plus-52 goal difference in qualifying and dominated all opponents in the play-offs en route to the final.
Moser and Co. rewarded themselves for an excellent season with emotions for eternity. Above all, what remains of this furioso in Lausanne is that this mode enhances the Women’s Super League, which is fighting for recognition and attention. Christopher Nolan would certainly have seen Monday as a worthy end to an exciting season.