Resurgent Besa Biel/Bienne Dominate Old Boys, 4-0, to Ignite Season and Deepen Opponent’s Plight

BIEL/BIENNE, Switzerland — On a brisk autumn afternoon at Sportanlagen Längfeld 2, there was a sense that Besa Biel/Bienne were poised for something more than survival. Facing bottom-dwelling Old Boys in a 1. Liga Classic Group 2 fixture ripe with implications, Besa delivered their most emphatic statement of the campaign, dispatching Old Boys 4-0 in a performance that blended urgency with unmistakable attacking flair.

The home side, entering the day mired in 11th place but buoyed by a recent upturn in form, seized control from the opening whistle. Within 15 minutes, the tone was set: a spell of early pressure yielded a breakthrough as midfielder Arben Sulejmani found the net with a curling effort from the edge of the area, the kind of finish that instantly raised the crowd’s expectations.

It was a goal that Old Boys, languishing at the foot of the table with just one win in nine matches, could ill afford to concede. Their resolve seemed to evaporate, and Besa wasted little time capitalizing. Before the half-hour, striker Valon Krasniqi doubled the advantage, latching onto a searching cross and slotting past the visiting goalkeeper. The lead was two, but the gap in conviction was immeasurable.

The turning point — and perhaps the definitive end to Old Boys’ hopes — arrived on the stroke of halftime. A careless challenge from defender Jerome Wenger resulted in a second yellow card, reducing Old Boys to ten men. The visitors trudged down the tunnel trailing by two, their task now Sisyphean.

For Besa, the second half became an exercise in confidence. Winger Gentian Imeri added a third midway through the period, ghosting in at the back post to cap off a fluid team move. The Old Boys’ defense, porous and exhausted, soon yielded again: substitute Ilir Shabani drove in a late fourth after a scramble in the area, sending Besa’s supporters into celebration and marking the club’s highest-margin victory of the season.

Much more than three points were on offer. For Besa Biel/Bienne, whose September was marked by inconsistency (a demoralizing 1-5 home loss to Muttenz on September 28, a 1-2 defeat at Courtételle), today’s performance extended a new narrative. The club now boasts four wins from its last six matches, including a disciplined 1-0 victory at Concordia Basel just a week prior. With 12 points from nine outings, Besa vaults further from the relegation mire, confidence swelling in step with their attack.

The contrast with Old Boys could not be sharper. Despite a rare victory at Muttenz on October 4, the Basel-based side has endured a punishing campaign — now six defeats in their last seven, with a nightmarish run of 17 goals conceded across those matches. Their showings have rarely threatened stability or coherence, and with just five points and an entrenched position at sixteenth, alarms are ringing. Momentum, it seems, is moving in only one direction.

Today’s result, while lopsided, is in keeping with the recent history between these sides. Besa have now won both of the last meetings at Sportanlagen Längfeld 2, displaying a mastery of home conditions and a knack for rising against struggling adversaries.

The nature of Besa’s goals — orchestrated moves, individual quality, and capitalizing on opponent errors — hints at a team beginning to believe. The significance is not lost in the standings: climbing out of the bottom quarter of the table, Besa’s outlook for the remainder of the season is suddenly brighter. The question moving forward is whether the club can capture and sustain this momentum, forging an identity that goes beyond flashes of brilliance.

For Old Boys, the road ahead is perilous. With just one win, they must confront the specter of relegation and address critical weaknesses at both ends of the pitch. The second-half red card for Wenger, a symbol of the club’s lack of discipline under pressure, only underscores the challenge facing manager and squad alike.

As the 1. Liga Classic season approaches its midpoint, every fixture now carries heightened importance. For Besa Biel/Bienne, today’s thumping victory is a launchpad — a reminder of what is possible when confidence and execution align. For Old Boys, the search for answers becomes more urgent, the window for revival ever narrower. The league table, as unforgiving as the autumn chill, reflects both realities with unblinking clarity.