Homegrown talent Raphael Kofler (right) scored the winning goal against Spezia. © DLife/LO

Golden boy Kofler shoots "his" FCS out of crisis

Three and a half months and 13 matches ago, FC Südtirol last celebrated a victory in Serie B. Exactly 105 days later, they finally achieved their long-awaited three points in front of their home crowd. The relief was evident on the faces of the FCS players after the final whistle.

10 January 2026

From the Drusus Stadium in Bolzano

"New year, new luck" is a popular saying at the turn of the year. FC Südtirol aimed to live up to this motto in their first match of the new year on Saturday. Playing at home against Spezia, FCS – as in previous games – put in a solid performance. The difference was that this time the efforts of the Red and Whites were rewarded: On Saturday, they secured a well-deserved 2-1 home victory.

Despite FC Südtirol's recent inconsistent performances and their ongoing relegation battle, nearly 4.000 fans flocked to the Drusus Stadium on Saturday. The spectators were treated to a lively six-pointer – Spezia were only one point ahead of FC Südtirol in the table before the match. With this victory, the Red and Whites overtook the Ligurian team and, for the first time in a while, moved out of the relegation zone.

Against Spezia, Raphael Kofler emerged as the hero. The 20-year-old first scored the winning goal for a 2-1 victory and then, as the leader of the defense, secured the three points. These points are worth their weight in gold, a balm for the FCS soul, and simultaneously provide renewed hope in the relegation battle, which is far from over. New signing Simone Verdi, who has 240 Serie A appearances under his belt, was not substituted on and will have to wait for his debut.

Kofler's special story

Back to the young Rablander: Kofler has been a regular starter in coach Fabrizio Castori's 3-5-2 formation as the central defender since the beginning of this season. He leads the back line with almost uncanny composure, and all this at just 20 (!) years old. Almost two and a half years after his Serie B debut – which, curiously enough, he made against Spezia on August 20, 2023 – he scored the winning goal for "his" FC Südtirol on Saturday against the Ligurian side, securing their first victory since September 27 of last year. Hats off to Raphael Kofler!



FC Südtirol's next match is this coming Saturday, January 17th. The Red and Whites will be playing away against Serie A relegated side Empoli, with kickoff at 15 pm. Following that, FCS has two home games scheduled: both Padova (January 25th) and Catanzaro (January 31st) will visit the Drusus Stadium in the first month of the new year.

FC Südtirol – Spezia Calcio

FC South Tyrol (3-5-2): Adamonis; El Kaouakibi, Kofler, Veseli; Molina, Tait (from 62. Federico Davi), Tronchin (from 78. Bordon), Casiraghi (from 78. Frigerio), Zedadka (from 73. Pietrangeli); Merkaj, Pecorino (from 73. Odogwu)
Trainer: Fabrizio Beavers

Spice (3-5-2): Radunovic; Wisniewski, Hristov, Beruatto; Aurelio (from 73rd Adamo) , Kouda, Cassata, Nagy (from 73rd Comotto), Vignali (from 61st Sernicola); Di Serio (from 83. Lapadula), Vlahovic (from 61. Artistico)
Trainer: Roberto Donadoni

Referee: Gianluca Manganiello (Pinerolo)

Gates: 0:1 Vlahovic (31st), 1:1 Pecorino (34th), 2:1 Kofler (51st)

Viewers: 3.990 (including 276 guest fans)

Serie B, matchday 19

Carrarese – Bari 1:0
Goal: 1-0 Abiuso (50th minute)

Frosinone – Catanzaro 2:0
Goals: 1-0 Monterisi (81st), 2-0 Ghedjemis (90th + 8th)

Reggiana – Venice 1-3
Goals: 0:1 Adorante (21st), 0:2 Yeboah (34th/penalty), 1:2 Girma (39th), 1:3 Svoboda (57th)

Avellino – Sampdoria 2:1
Goals: 1:0 Palumbo (32nd), 2:0 Tutino (51st), 2:1 Coda (85th/penalty)

Virtus Entella – Monza 1:0
Goal: 1-0 Franzoni (84th/penalty)

Juve Stabia – Pescara (in progress)

Cesena – Empoli (7:30 pm)

Sunday's games:
Mantova – Palermo (15 p.m.)
Padua – Modena (5:15 p.m.)

Table