Obermais has another home game on Sunday. Whether it will be in Sinich or on the Lahn River is still undecided. © P. Schwienbacher

Too many mistakes: Obermais faces crucial weeks

FC Obermais is facing the decisive phase of the championship. As early as January, South Tyrol's only Serie D club will likely be making crucial decisions about which league they will be playing in next year. Their ambitions are clear.

12 January 2026

From: cst

Not that the 1:3 defeat in Mestre It might have been planned, but the pointless away trip to the Venetian Lagoon isn't a disaster for FC Obermais. After all, Mestre is one of the top teams in the league. However, things get serious in the coming weeks. The schedule consists entirely of direct clashes.

On Sunday, the team will face Vigasio at home. Whether the match will be played at the Lahn stadium in Obermais or on artificial turf in Sinich is still uncertain. The club would love to play at their home stadium near Trauttmansdorff Castle, but the weather will ultimately decide. Therefore, it's more likely that FCO will have to move to the southern Merano area for the second time. Hannes Mussi, who stood in for the suspended head coach Flavio Toccoli in Mestre, knows: "We now have four very important matches that will be crucial for our season."

Errors front and back

If Obermais wants to stay in Serie D – and that is their goal – then they must eliminate individual errors above all else. Goalkeeper Luca Tenderini made a blunder in Mestre when he kicked the ball straight at his defender Alexander Gander before the third goal. Tenderini had already made a serious mistake in the opening minutes, but went unpunished then. "We conceded two silly goals due to a long throw-in and an individual error," said Mussi. "After Ghiotti's goal, we simply conceded the second and third goals far too quickly."

Oliver Rohrer, central defender for Obermais.

Mistakes weren't limited to defense; they happened up front as well. Edoardo Ghiotti failed to capitalize on a slapstick moment from the Mestre goalkeeper, hitting only the crossbar. Raphael Unterthurner found himself one-on-one with the opposing keeper, but the latter made a fine save from his diagonal shot. Two good chances that went begging. "We were in the game until the final whistle and had good opportunities to pull a goal back," said center-back Oliver Rohrer. "With a bit more composure in front of goal, a positive result would have been possible."

Spalek is expected to bring new hope to the attack.

In Mestre, celebrations were held. New signing Nikolas Spalek (He only arrived in Obermais on Friday) making his debut for the South Tyrolean team. The Slovakian replaces Michael Seaton and is expected to provide that crucial extra bit of quality in attack. If everything goes according to plan, Spalek will make his starting eleven debut on Sunday against Vigasio. Manuel Brusco is also expected to be fit for the match.

The upcoming FCO program

Home: Vigasio (9th)
Away: Adriese (16th minute)
Home: Portogruaro (18th)
Away: Campodarsego (12th)