Swiss soccer league gets surprise champion as Thun seals first title in club's 128-year history

TL;DR

Thun has won its first Swiss soccer league title in 128 years, clinching the championship after St. Gallen lost to Sion. The team, coached by Mauro Lustrinelli, is now set to compete in the Champions League qualifying rounds.

Key points

Thun wins first Swiss league title in 128 years
St. Gallen's loss secured the championship for Thun
Thun is coached by Mauro Lustrinelli
The team is returning to the top tier after five years
Thun will compete in Champions League qualifying rounds

Mentioned in this story

Mauro Lustrinelli

ThunSwiss soccer leagueChampions League

THUN, Switzerland (AP) — Swiss soccer finally got its surprise champion Sunday in unheralded Thun, sealing a title to compare with Leicester’s long-shot Premier League win in 2016. Thun clinched a first Swiss league title in the club’s 128-year history — despite losing games on the past two Saturdays — when second-place St. Gallen dropped points in a 3-0 loss hosting Sion. That left Thun, coached by former star forward Mauro Lustrinelli, 11 points clear with three rounds to go. The title came in Thun’s first season back in the top tier after five years in the second division. The team from a central Switzerland town of 45,000 people also never won a Swiss Cup title. The final step was a nervous one for Thun when victory in either of its past two games would have confirmed the title. A 3-1 loss Saturday at defending champion Basel, ending with nine players after two red cards, followed a 1-0 loss at home to Lugano one week earlier. Thun has a long path to competing with Europe's elite in the next Champions League, where the club made an unlikely appearance in 2005 after being runner-up in the Swiss league. The champion of Switzerland now enters the second qualifying round of the Champions League in July — starting two days after the World Cup final. Thun needs to beat three opponents to advance to the main phase. Thun is unlikely to have any player selected for a World Cup squad though 20-year-old midfielder Ethan Meichtry is a Switzerland Under-21 international with a bright future. \\\_ AP soccer:

Q&A

How did Thun win the Swiss soccer league title?

Thun won the title after St. Gallen lost to Sion, leaving Thun 11 points clear with three matches remaining.

When will Thun compete in the Champions League qualifying rounds?

Thun will enter the second qualifying round of the Champions League in July, shortly after the World Cup final.

Who is the coach of Thun soccer team?

Thun is coached by Mauro Lustrinelli, a former star forward.