The Willisau Lions and Kriessern secured their qualification victories in the Nationalliga A wrestling season, setting up high-stakes quarterfinal duels scheduled to begin on October 17, with return legs following on October 31.
Fantasy & Market Impact
- Individual Standings: Ufhusen remains the clear relegation candidate after finishing the qualification round winless with zero points.
Willisau Lions and Kriessern Secure Top Seeds
The Willisau Lions cruised through their fixture in Beckenried without needing to overextend their lineup, finishing the qualification phase at the top of Group A with 12 points and a 147:69 score differential. Although Christoph Waser kept things close up to 125 kg freestyle against Willisau’s international competitor Samuel Scherrer before dropping a 0:4 decision, the champions held a comfortable 12:4 lead by the break. They extended that advantage across the final five mat bouts to seal a 23:13 victory.
Meanwhile, in Group B, Kriessern also wrapped up the qualification round at the summit with 12 points and a 158:67 record. Despite a loss in the marquee matchup where Kriessern’s Fabian Ulmann fell 0:9 to Einsiedeln mat veteran Sven Neyer up to 125 kg freestyle, the St. Gallen Rhine Valley squad built a 12:4 halftime cushion. They stabilized that lead to finish with a 23:11 win, limiting Einsiedeln to just three individual victories on the day.
Freiamt and Weinfelden Cap Off Group Play
Freiamt experienced a slow start against Oberriet-Grabs but turned the fixture around in the second half. Securing seven of the total 13 individual wins, Freiamt pulled away for a 23:15 victory. With the win, Freiamt finished second in Group A with 8 points.
In the battle of the promoted sides in Group B, Weinfelden won the home match against Ufhusen. Weinfelden established a 14:6 halftime lead and secured a 22:15 win behind a 6:4 individual match balance. Ufhusen finished the qualification round winless. In the 125 kg freestyle bout, Simon Marti pinned Thurgauer Niklas Blaser, cementing Marti’s status as the top-performing wrestler of the qualification phase with a 20:5 team point record.
| Group A Standings | Points | Fights (+/-) |
|---|---|---|
| Willisau Lions | 12 | 147:69 |
| Freiamt | 8 | 118:100 |
| Schattdorf | 4 | 85:124 |
| Oberriet-Grabs | 0 | 83:140 |
Quarterfinal Pairings and Schedule
The qualification round results set the stage for the Nationalliga A quarterfinals. The top-seeded teams enter the next phase as clear favorites. The Willisau Lions will face Ufhusen, Kriessern takes on Oberriet-Grabs, Freiamt squares off against Weinfelden, and Einsiedeln meets Schattdorf. The opening legs are set for October 17, with the return matchups slated for October 31.
