Birsfelden vs Baden-Endingen

Baden-Endingen started assertively under new head coach Aco Stevic, who took over both coaching and sporting director duties in the summer. The visitors built an early cushion through a fluid attacking system that Birsfelden's defence struggled to contain.

By half-time, Baden-Endingen had established a commanding lead, and they maintained the pressure after the interval. Stevic was able to rotate his squad freely in the second period, giving minutes to several of the club's six off-season arrivals — including Ferraz, Čagalj, Bieri, Köchli, Morgado and deadline signing Raphael Rohr.

Birsfelden, coached by Martin Slaninka, competed gamely but lacked the firepower to close the gap. The home side's best spell came midway through the second half, but Baden-Endingen reasserted control immediately each time Birsfelden threatened a mini-revival.

The contest was effectively decided inside the opening 15 minutes. Baden-Endingen's high pressing forced a succession of turnovers that translated into quick transition goals. Birsfelden's young side — described by Slaninka before the match as a work in progress — could not withstand the early barrage, and the visitors led by a double-digit margin before the half-hour mark.

No official player statistics were published at the time of writing, but Baden-Endingen's collective performance stood out. New signing Ferraz, brought in from the NLA, appeared to dictate the tempo from the back court during his minutes on court. The experienced Čagalj added physical presence in the defensive line.

Baden-Endingen's squad depth was a decisive factor: Stevic used his bench liberally in the second half without any drop-off in quality. For Birsfelden, the task was always steep against a side that had beaten NLA outfit GC Amicitia Zürich in pre-season and won the Brugg tournament days earlier.

The 35-22 scoreline tells a straightforward story of a team playing two divisions above its opponent. Baden-Endingen's 35 goals reflect an attack that had been finely tuned during pre-season friendlies against Austrian and German opposition. Birsfelden's 22 goals, while respectable against higher-tier opponents, underscored the gap in physicality and organisation. The home side will take encouragement from passages where their structure held, but the gulf on the scoreboard was an accurate mirror of the difference in class.

Baden-Endingen advance to the next round of the Mobiliar-Cup, keeping alive their pursuit of silverware alongside their primary objective: promotion from the NLB. Stevic's side begin their league campaign on Saturday 5 September at home against TV Steffisburg (18:00, Aue Baden).

For Birsfelden, attention turns to the 1. Liga championship. Their league season opens on Saturday 5 September at home against TV Solothurn (17:00, Sporthalle Birsfelden). The cup defeat, while emphatic, provides a valuable competitive benchmark after a pre-season Slaninka described as encouraging.

A professional, no-nonsense cup performance from Baden-Endingen against overmatched opposition. The scoreline accurately reflected the two-division gap. Stevic's new-look side did everything expected and nothing more — which is exactly what a promotion contender should do in the preliminary round. Birsfelden can use this as a sharpening exercise ahead of their own league campaign.

No official match video or detailed events timeline was available at the time of writing. Attendance and individual scorer data were not officially published.