With 23 goals conceded after 8 games, Winterthur clearly had the worst defense in the Super League before the international break. But suddenly the climber is safe at the back. He kept a clean sheet for the first time against FC Zurich last Sunday. And Winterthur also kept a clean sheet against GC, who had previously scored in every game of the season.
And unlike the game against the other canton rivals, Winterthur was also able to set offensive accents against the Grasshoppers. And one of the few chances brought directly the decision in the game. After a long ball from keeper Timothy Fayulu, Souleymane Diaby brought a sharp cross into the box. Samir Ramizi ran in there and made it 1-0 after 51 minutes.
Ramizi with an inglorious ending
The goal scorer should be the focus again later – but only after the end of the game. Because he gave the GC fans the middle finger after the final whistle, he saw the red card from referee Luca Cibelli. The winning goal-scorer returned to the starting XI after a yellow card suspension and will now be missing from his team again.
This should spoil the joy of the promoted team about their second win of the season. But Winterthur can be satisfied with the performance. A largely unimaginative GC barely managed to create chances against the compact defense. Hayao Kawabe missed the greatest opportunity to equalize after an hour. After a failed shot by Dominik Schmid, the Japanese was alone in front of Fayulu, but the goalkeeper was the winner in this duel.
GC slides into crisis
Even in the final phase, GC didn’t get enough to secure a point in the canton derby. The record champions remain without a win in the 4th game in a row and are slowly threatening to lose touch with the front places. Winterthur, on the other hand, extends its lead over the bottom of the table to 5 points, at least temporarily.
Here’s how to proceed
The next games will take place in just a few days. Winterthur welcomes FC Sion on Tuesday (8:30 p.m.). GC meets Servette on Thursday from 8:30 p.m. in the Letzigrund.