Thun continue fairytale flight
Tuesday, August 23, 2005
Article summary
FC Thun 3-0 Malmö FF (agg: 4-0) The Swiss side's historic run shows no sign of abating as Mauro Lustrinelli scores two in an easy win.
Article body
FC Thun's fairytale UEFA Champions League run shows no sign of abating after brushing Malmö FF aside with a 3-0 victory at the Stade de Suisse to reach the group stage in their maiden season in Europe's premier club competition.
Lustrinelli heroics
Trailing 1-0 after the first leg, the onus was on the Swedish visitors to pursue a goal but it was Thun who looked the most threatening in the opening exchanges, and Tiago Bernardi broke the deadlock midway through the first half. Mauro Lustrinelli sent the jubilant crowd to raptures five minutes before the interval before capping the victory with an astonishing second-half strike.
Asper active
The one-sided result was little more than the home side deserved after a dominant performance in Berne. They started the game on the front foot, and captain Andreas Gerber twice went close in the opening stages, the latter chance forcing a smart stop from Mattias Asper. Selver Hodžić and Bernardi also forced saves and when the latter made the breakthrough on 26 minutes, it came as little surprise.
Defensive error
The Brazilian midfield player converted Nelson Ferreira's superb cross to give Urs Schönenberger's a two-goal aggregate advantage. That became three on 40 minutes after a catastrophic defensive mistake from Joseph Elanga presented recent Swiss call-up Lustrinelli with the easiest of opportunities.
Spectacular strike
With Finnish veteran Jari Litmanen confined to the bench, the Swedish side offered little in return and Thun could have sealed the win four minutes after the interval but with team-mates better placed Adriano decided to go it alone. The crowd's disappointment was short-lived, however, as Lustrinelli wrapped up the win in spectacular style on 66 minutes.
Famous victory
The Swiss forward struck from near the halfway line to effectively settle the tie and leave the buoyant crowd euphoric. With the game over as a contest, Malmö finally displayed some attacking intent late on, but it was too little, too late as Thun began celebrating a famous win.
