Yverdon gets a point against St. Gallen

(sda) Yverdon enters the final four matches of the Super League relegation battle with a one-point lead over Grasshoppers and Winterthur. The Vaudois side improved to a 1-1 draw in their relegation match against St. Gallen.

Two days after Sunday's heavy rain and the unplayable pitch at the Stade Municipal, St. Gallen was well on its way to avenging another long journey from eastern Switzerland to the southwestern tip of Lake Neuchâtel with its first away win in Yverdon since the club's promotion two years ago. However, a second yellow card against Albert Vallci for a rough tackle paved the way for Yverdon to secure a draw in the final 20 minutes.

Varol Tasar scored in the 74th minute with a beautifully executed shot from around 18 meters after a feint to make it 1-1. Willem Geubbels had already provided the highlight of a largely uneventful match with the opening goal for the visitors in the sixth minute.

With conditions returning to normal, but on the pitch still difficult to play on, Geubbels scored for St. Gallen with a not entirely clean overhead kick. It was the 13th goal of the season for the 23-year-old Frenchman, who scored in his third consecutive game and has now surpassed his total from his first two seasons with FCSG by three goals.

For St. Gallen, the absence of captain Lukas Görtler was initially insignificant. Yverdon, who had won their three home games against St. Gallen 1-0 since their promotion, only became a threat after Vallci's sending off in the 68th minute.

Without defensive leader Mohamed Tijani, who was also suspended for yellow cards, Yverdon remained winless for the sixth consecutive game. Thanks to the point, however, coach Paolo Tramezzani's team avoided relegation. Grasshoppers, in eleventh place, and Winterthur, in last place, now head into their final four matches one point behind Yverdon.