Twente Enschede beats FC Thun 1-0 after Kristal red card in Conference League opener
Patrik Kristal's red card in the 60th minute and Ramiz Zerrouki's goal in the 65th decided Twente Enschede's 1-0 win over FC Thun in the Conference League on Thursday, 15 October.
Twente Enschede beat FC Thun 1-0 in their opening Conference League match in Enschede on Thursday, 15 October. A VAR-driven red card left Thun with ten men for the final half-hour, and the home side took the only goal soon after.
A VAR review turns the card around
Thun's first match in a European group or league phase in 13 years began as a tight contest. Referee Genc Nuza first booked Ramiz Zerrouki for a challenge in midfield, but after consulting the VAR he changed the decision. Patrik Kristal, the 18-year-old Estonian making his first start for Thun, was shown a straight red card in the 60th minute for stepping on his opponent's lower leg. Most reports name Zerrouki as the player first booked, while RTBF names Twente's Aske Adelgaard as the one whose yellow card was cancelled. SRF judged that intent could hardly be held against Kristal, yet the decision still drew strong reaction from the Thun bench. Coach Gian-Luca Privitelli looked on in disbelief and asked the referee what was happening.
- Patrik Kristal shown a straight red card after a VAR review
- Ramiz Zerrouki scores, Twente Enschede lead 1-0
- Result stands at 1-0 for Twente Enschede
Zerrouki settles the tie
Five minutes after Kristal's dismissal, Zerrouki struck from the edge of the penalty area to give Twente a 1-0 lead in the 65th minute. Blick described the build-up: Orjasaeter dribbled down the left, and Daouda Weidmann laid the ball back with his heel for Zerrouki, whose low shot went into the bottom right corner. Twente had earlier celebrated a first-half goal by Weidmann, but the VAR disallowed it for a foul in the build-up. With Thun down to ten men, Twente kept pressing without adding a second goal. According to SRF, Thun managed only one shot in the second half. Steffen in the Thun goal made early saves against Taha and later kept out Hlynsson and Weghorst in the 80th minute and in stoppage time. Wout Weghorst was not involved in the goal, but his runs kept creating dangerous moments for Thun's defence.
Thun before the red card
Before the sending-off, Thun had held the score level with a compact defence and a few quick counterattacks against the favoured home side. Reichmuth and Roth both had shots inside the first quarter-hour, but Thun rarely threatened after that. Privitelli made five changes to the starting lineup from the 2:4 defeat at FC Zürich the previous weekend. Captain Marco Bürki stayed in Switzerland because his partner is due to give birth to their first child, so Jan Bamert wore the armband until he was substituted at half-time. Twente were playing their 100th European home match, a milestone that AD noted alongside the win.
What comes next
Thun return to competition on Sunday, 18 October, when they visit Promotion League leader Schaffhausen in the second round of the Swiss Cup. Their next Conference League match is a home game against Hajduk Split one week after this fixture. SRF noted that a different decision in the 60th minute could have allowed Thun to take a point, but the result stood at 1-0 after 90 minutes.
