Challenge League – and once again the referee takes center stage: Arao doesn’t get a penalty, Thon does

“Hopefully we won’t have to talk about the referee again after the game,” Fiat Chrysler coach Stefan Keeler said in a pre-match television interview. Stay with desire.

57 minutes played in a Brügglifeld refrigerator when Raul Geiger and Marco Burki face an ongoing duel. There is no proper paper between the two – then the man falls from Aarau. Not only that, the TV image consultation confirms the vivid impression: Thuner hits Aarau’s face, clearly sly manipulation. But Alan Berry, considered one of the best players in the Swiss Referees’ Guild, did not intervene.

In the second consecutive match, FC Aarau was denied a penalty kick. A week ago in Lausanne, that played no part in light of the 2-0 win away from home, but against Thun, the referee’s impact was decisive in the match: the rejected penalty breaks Arao’s induction stage after the first-half break. Before Perry’s wrong decision, he gave Bergsma and Schneider two big chances.

Then after 67 minutes it was suddenly 1-0 to the visitors. Substitute dos Santos goal out of nowhere after three FCA pros failed with Jäckle, Bergsma and Thaler. Which is the first goal since September 10, the first goal after 557 minutes. That’s an all-time record since stats (1981): Goalie Simon Enzler beats FCA legend Andreas Hilfiker, who didn’t need to reach 516 minutes behind him in the 1992/93 championship season.

But that evening, it became a side note, which Enzler would later be pleased with. For now, frustration should prevail: the frustration that Thun scored 2-0 and thus the final score after 78 minutes by Shehadeh – is also a substitute.

The irony of fate: Alan Perry’s second hit was preceded by the whistle of a penalty kick from Alan Perry. That’s right, because FCA defender Marco Thaler explodes in the middle of the crowd after Hafnar’s corner kick. It’s still bitter for Arau, because he wouldn’t have gone this far if Perry had decided a penalty for Keeler’s side before the goals were conceded.

Speaking of bunker: After the first defeat since August 27, he can’t blame his team. She gets up again after the counter-attack and is again unlucky when Konos hits the post. Instead, it should be allowed to ask if the FCA coach has shown a good hand in his selection of personnel: for the injured Rrudhani, missing everywhere, bringing in Keller Schwegler, in the attacking midfield, Sneijder is allowed to do so again. The match passed on Schwegler, even looking like a loser in the first half. Sneijder is clear, but often does not bring the ball to his teammate from a promising position and gives a great chance shortly before 0:1.

If the highly acclaimed offensive machine doesn’t roll and writes the opponent on his forehead primarily to fortify his goal – then Arau is having a hard time and comes out like this evening. That shouldn’t be a disgrace to Thun and his coach Carlos Bernegger: not only did he do everything tactically right that evening, but he also changed scorers. But Berenger must also thank the referee — at least privately.