Virtus was on the verge of defeat. © AC Virtus Bolzano/Facebook

Oberliga: Virtus' comeback despite being a man down

The title race in the Oberliga remains incredibly exciting. In the direct duel at the top of the table, league leaders Virtus Bozen salvaged a point at the last minute, thus preventing a major setback.

February 22, 2026

From: do

The league's top match undoubtedly took place in South Tyrol's capital city on Sunday. League leaders Virtus Bolzano hosted one of their closest rivals. Before this showdown, Mori sat in third place, level on points with second-placed Levico, poised to pounce. Ultimately, this encounter was a classic six-pointer, where Virtus could either solidify their lead or drop crucial points to their direct competitors.

Tension was guaranteed at the Talfer, but Mori got off to a better start and took the lead just before halftime thanks to Jaquin Cabrera (42nd minute). The second half proved even more bitter for the Green-Whites: ten minutes after the restart, Cabrera completed his brace (55th minute) and put the visitors in a comfortable position. But Virtus refused to give up. An own goal by the visitors brought Bolzano back to 1-2 (77th minute), but after Stefano Calabrese received a second yellow card (86th minute), they had to fight for the point with ten men.

Just when defeat seemed inevitable, the league leaders showed resilience: In the 95th minute, Virtus managed to score the jubilant equalizer through Alessandro Bertuolo, making it 2-2. Instead of a crushing setback, Bolzano salvaged at least a point and defended their top spot.

Difficult Sunday

There wasn't much to celebrate for the South Tyrolean teams at the other Oberliga venues either. Brixen lost 0-2 against Rovereto, Tramin was defeated 1-2 by Benacense, and Partschins managed a 0-0 draw against Lavis, securing a point. St. Georgen, however, prevailed 1-0 against Ahrntal, thus distancing themselves somewhat from the relegation zone.

Later that evening, Bozner FC narrowly won 1-2 against bottom-placed Gröden.

Oberliga: 20th matchday

Rovereto – Brixen 2:0
1:0 Vinciguerra (9th), 2:0 Rossi (28th)

Benacense – Tramin 2:1
1:0 Risatti (68th), 2:0 Bosetti (87th), 2:1 Greif (90th)

Virtus Bozen – Mori 2:2
0:1 Cabrera (42nd minute), 0:2 Cabrera (55th minute), 1:2 Own goal (77th minute), 2:2 Bertuolo (90+5th minute)

Lavis – Partschins 0:0

St. Pauls – Comano 0-3
0:1 Cereghini (43rd), 0:2 Forcinella (57th), 0:3 Ajdarovski (72nd)

St. Georgen – Ahrntal 1:0
1:0 Niederkofler Uina (21st minute)

Gröden – Bozner FC 1:2
0:1 Tessaro (14th), 0:2 Bocchio (43rd), 1:2 Moroder (83rd)