Sion are a - Team Saying Goodbye to Two Dropped Points

Available in both French and German

Hopperational Details
Date & Venue	Wednesday 27 September 2017 at Stade Tourbillon, Sion
Result	FC Sion 1 Lausanne Sport 1
Competition	Super League (Highest tier in Switzerland)
Hopping	The chance to get here for Ground 618 on my lifetime list arises because I got lucky at the last minute with a place for a tour of CERN tomorrow.  Since the Higgs Boson wasn’t even on the table when I did my degree, and I am teaching the particle physics bit of the A level course later this year, it seemed a great way to combine some fun stuff with some usefulness.  It’s my first time on Swiss soil (not counting a transit through Zurich airport in 2006).
Pre-match preparation and entertainment
A drive up down and around some bendy roads between Geneva and Sion.  Picture-postcard scenery, impossibly green and looking really good before the skiing starts.  As far as the game is concerned, an online print-at-home purchase for 53CHF (so not a cheap night out) was very straightforward with a bit of French.
This match in one sentence
Utter frustration for the home side and their supporters.
So what?
The teams stay 6th and 8th respectively but all other teams have yet to play in this round.
The drama unfolds
I found myself sitting with a group of Sion supporters known as the Old Dogs.  Seemed fair, maybe with an element of nominative determinism.  They enjoyed Sion’s early dominance both in terms of possession and chances created.  However, the element of wastefulness would prove costly by the end of the evening.  The supporters in the South Tribune kept up their songs all night. Sion’s efforts were summed up though by a 33rd minute incident.  Christian Zock Abep won the ball in midfield and did all the hard work to make ground before indecision led to evaporation.  The same player headed the ball down for Marco Schneuwly whose mishit shot was just one of many half-chances spurned.  Lausanne had one late volleyed chance on the break but there was very little for 30 or so visiting supporters to celebrate.  The half-time whistle went with the score still 0-0. Matheus Cunha opened the scoring for Sion with a screamer from the right hand side into the left corner of the net.  Out came the pyro along with an impotent message of disapproval over the PA.  This forced Lausanne to press forward more with Sion looking dangerous on the break too.  It was never dull, except for the Lausanne keeper’s blatant timewasting.  Lausanne caught Sion napping with a break of their own.  A scuffed clearance was kept in on the touchline.  The header from the resulting cross was superbly saved by Anton Mitryushkin, but the rebound fell nicely for Maxime Dominguez who absolutely leathered it for the equalising goal. It then got very nervy, and in truth neither side was good enough to win it.  Mitryushkin’s legs denied Lausanne a scruffy win and in the end the game petered out in a draw.  Entertaining enough for the passing neutral.
Ground Pix
The castle that lends its name to the stadium
Match Pix
Sion in white and Lausanne in some kind of revolting day-glo orange.
Learn French Through Football
mercredi le vingt-sept septembre – Wednesday 27th September Le marché des transferts – the transfer window (literally: market) On ne gagne pas une Coupe Suisse par hasard – you don’t win a Swiss Cup by chance Un premier contract professional – a first professional contract La pause international – the international break Une victoire – a victory/win L’entraineur – the trainer (coach)
Goalkeeper Top Colour Stats
This was a draw between red and blue, but no clean sheet for either.  Full table next time I am writing a post back at home.
What Next?
I have a tour of CERN tomorrow and then a lot depends on whether I can cope with a 2hr-each-way drive on Friday night.  I will pick up a lower league fixture in the Geneva area on Saturday whatever happens.