Aarau end Zürich's Cup run

Challenge League side FC Aarau knocked Super League club FC Zürich out of the Swiss Cup on Sunday, 18 October, winning 2-0 in front of a sold-out Brügglifeld. The reported crowd ranged from 8,000 to 8,450. Daniel Afriyie scored both goals. The 25-year-old Ghanaian striker had spent two and a half years at Zürich before joining Aarau in summer 2025, and he had unfinished business with his former club. Aarau sit sixth in the Challenge League, and this was their third straight Cup win over a top-flight side, after Luzern in 2024 and Young Boys last season. Zürich, coached by Marcel Koller according to SRF, have now gone out in the second round in consecutive seasons, after Nyon ended their run last year.

How the goals came

Afriyie opened the scoring in the 65th minute according to watson, or in the 66th minute according to SRF and 20 Minuten. Zürich's back line hesitated after a blocked high ball, and the ball reached him through Marco Thaler and Henri Koide. Zürich had a chance through Bledian Krasniqi after the first goal, but they did not react much after conceding again. The second goal came from distance in the 80th or 81st minute, after a counter-attack released Izer Aliu, whose pass found Afriyie about 20 metres out. Silas Huber could not stop the flat shot, which went into the net. Aarau had been the more purposeful side in the first half, and Kevin Spadanuda's header in the 58th minute was the only real danger Zürich created, saved by Andreas Hirzel.

Red card and black armbands

Zürich were reduced to ten when Miguel Reichmuth received a second yellow card in the 83rd minute, with referee Lukas Fähndrich showing the card. Zürich played with black armbands in memory of the brother of Mohamed Bangoura, who died in a traffic accident in Guinea. Before kick-off the whole squad stood together and held up the shirt of their grieving teammate. Zürich fans did not accept the defeat, while Aarau supporters celebrated the result on the pitch.

Thun survive Schaffhausen on penalties

In Schaffhausen, more than 4,300 spectators watched Promotion League side FC Schaffhausen push Swiss champions Thun to a penalty shootout. Carmine Chiappetta gave the hosts a 1-0 lead shortly after the break. Furkan Dursun converted a penalty in the 72nd minute to make it 1-1, and Rijad Saliji missed a spot kick for Schaffhausen two minutes later. Dimitri Volkart equalised in the 120th minute to make it 2-2, and Thun were awarded a second penalty in the third minute of extra time. Schaffhausen, coached by David Sesa, were the equal side on the balance of play, but Thun won the shootout.

Other results and next steps

In the same round, Lugano beat Pully 4-0 with a team that differed from the one used in the Conference League on Thursday. Lausanne-Sport beat Winkeln 7-0, and substitute Seydou Traoré came on in the 69th minute and scored a clean hat-trick. FC Zürich is the first Super League side to leave the Cup this season. The next Cup round, listed as the round of 16, is scheduled for 1 to 3 December.