Zürich cling on to Swiss glory

FC Zürich claimed their eleventh Swiss title on Thursday night after a 2-0 win on the final day of the season at home against local rivals Grasshopper-Club.

Second strike
Zürich held a one-point lead over FC Basel 1893 going into the final day, and their nerves were settled after 42 minutes at the Hardturm Stadium as Francileudo Santos scored a sweet opener. A sell-out crowd of 18,137 then saw the home side survive a scare as Grasshoppers' Antonio Dos Santos rattled a shot against the crossbar, before Xavier Margairaz settled the match in second-half added time. Zürich will now enter the UEFA Champions League second qualifying round.

Basel triumph
Zürich had snatched the title from Basel on the final day of last season but there was to be no repeat performance, although Christian Gross' side finished the season with a 2-0 win against BSC Young Boys, with Mile Sterjovski and Eduardo scoring early goals to underline their place in the UEFA Cup second qualifying round next season.

Sion joy
Young Boys' defeat saw FC Sion steal third place, and a UEFA Cup first qualifying round slot, with a 2-0 win against FC Luzern. FC Schaffhausen were relegated after a 2-0 defeat at FC Thun. Second-from-bottom FC Aarau will face a relegation play-off game against the runners-up from the second tier.