Young Boys beat Vaduz 4-2 at Wankdorf to take Swiss Super League lead
Young Boys claimed a 4-2 victory over FC Vaduz on Sunday, moving to the top of the Swiss Super League table behind second-half goals from Alvyn Sanches and Armin Gigovic.
Early exchange and Sène's debut goal
BSC Young Boys welcomed newly promoted FC Vaduz to the Wankdorf Stadium in Bern for the fourth round of the Swiss Super League season. The Bernese side took the lead in the fourth minute when Swiss international Joël Monteiro found the net following an opening sequence orchestrated by Kaly Sène. Vaduz leveled the score in the 25th minute when Milos Cocic struck a low, firm drive from 20 meters past Young Boys goalkeeper Marvin Keller. Young Boys regained the advantage in the 37th minute through an acrobatic effort by Sène, who had missed a clear opportunity two minutes earlier. The 25-year-old Senegalese forward met a cross from right-back Lewin Blum and converted a bicycle kick into the net to make it 2-1. Sène arrived at the club from English second-tier side Middlesbrough on a four-year contract, having previously featured for FC Basel and Lausanne-Sport.
Vaduz response before half-time
Despite falling behind twice, the visiting side from Liechtenstein continued to test the Young Boys defense before the interval. In the 43rd minute, Uruguayan attacker Juan Cabrera broke through on the left side, maneuvering past Blum and avoiding a challenge from center-back Grégory Wüthrich. Cabrera fired a driven attempt toward the goal, which Keller failed to hold, spilling the ball into the path of Cocic. The attacker tapped in the rebound from close range to score his second goal of the match and make it 2-2. The equalizer punished defensive passivity from the home side and sent both teams into the locker rooms on level terms.
Decisive second-half goals
Young Boys intensified their pressure after the break under head coach Gerry Seoane. The decisive moment came in the 57th minute after Dominik Pech intercepted a loose Vaduz pass in midfield. Pech played the ball across to Alvyn Sanches, who dribbled past defenders in tight space on the edge of the penalty area before curling a shot into the top corner. Vaduz mounted several offensive sequences in search of a third equalizer but struggled to generate clear chances against Keller's defense. In the 87th minute, midfielder Armin Gigovic ended any lingering tension by beating Vaduz goalkeeper Leon Schaffran with a curling long-distance strike.
- Joël Monteiro scores for Young Boys with an assist from Kaly Sène
- Milos Cocic equalizes for Vaduz with a 20-meter shot
- Kaly Sène scores via bicycle kick from Lewin Blum's cross
- Milos Cocic scores on a rebound after Juan Cabrera's attempt
- Alvyn Sanches scores into the top corner following Dominik Pech's pass
- Armin Gigovic secures the 4-2 win with a long-range strike
League standings and upcoming schedule
The 4-2 victory moves Young Boys into first place in the Super League table with 10 points after three wins and one draw in four matches. Young Boys sit provisionally one point ahead of FC Basel and FC Lugano. The club had not occupied the top spot after four rounds of the domestic season since 7 August 2022, when Raphael Wicky managed the side. Vaduz remains rooted to the bottom of the league standings with zero points after four consecutive defeats since their promotion from the Challenge League. Several weekend fixtures were postponed, including FC Thun against Servette FC and FC Lugano against FC St. Gallen, to accommodate teams competing in European competition play-offs. Young Boys travel to face FC Basel in their next league fixture, while Vaduz will host Grasshopper Club Zürich.
