Raphael Unterhurner (left) is one of the young players from Obermais who are taking advantage of their Serie D opportunity.

Serie D instead of the 1st Amateur League: The steep rise of Unterthurner

Raphael Unterthurner's winning goal against Bassano secured another three home points for FC Obermais. It was the 19-year-old forward's first goal in Serie D.

February 18, 2026

From: cst

Raphael Unterthurner's rise is remarkable. A year ago, he was fighting for survival in the Landesliga (regional league) with his hometown club Riffian Kuens – and ultimately suffered relegation to the 1. Amateurliga (first amateur league). But instead of dropping down a level, the lightning-fast striker moved up two leagues. Obermais made Unterthurner an offer, and the Riffian native didn't want to miss out on Serie D (fourth tier).

In October, Unterthurner made his debut in Italy's fourth division away against Bassano. Now, his career has come full circle. On Sunday, Unterthurner scored At home against Bassano His first goal for FCO – and that despite his team being down a man. For Obermais, it was their third consecutive home win. The gap to the relegation zone has increased to five points.

The striker has made ten appearances so far.

“At first, I didn’t even realize the ball was in,” Unterthurner described the moment of his winning goal. “When I finally realized it, I immediately ran to our fans to celebrate.” Those fans were particularly fired up on Sunday, as Bassano brought around 50 ultras with them to the Lahn. It’s no secret in the fan scene that the Venetian supporters are associated with the far right – and the Bassano ultras made no secret of it in Obermais.

Toccoli praises the FCO youngsters

Unterthurner, whose sister incidentally plays for the Riffian Kuens women's team, was delighted by the fiery atmosphere at the Lahn stadium: "Scoring my first goal at home, in front of our fantastic fans, was absolutely amazing." The youngster also received praise from his coach, Flavio Toccoli: "Our young players make an important contribution. We brought in players like Unterthurner, Larcher, and Stecher in the summer because we believe in them. That hasn't changed. Every player is equally important in our team. You could see that on Sunday."