The Nigerian striker was pleased with his side’s pre-season result, but still sees plenty of room for perfection
Franklin Sasere says Lugano are still a “work in progress” after demolishing Losone Sportiva 11-0 in Saturday’s pre-season friendly.
The Nigerian striker was on target thrice as the Swiss Super League side began their preparations for the 2021-22 campaign on a blistering note.
DR Congo prospect Christopher Lungoyi as well as Portugal youth international of Ghanaian origin Asumah Abubakar scored twice, with Reto Ziegler, Mattia Bottani, Kevin Monzialo and Carlo Manicone completing the rout.
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In a chat with Goal, the former Sunshine Stars forward is not flattered by the outcome, claiming Abel Braga’s men would keep working hard.
“We played a good brand of football, scored plenty of goals, however, we are not carried away,” he said.
“Even at the scoreline, our opponents gave us a good fight and we are pleased to have kept a clean slate.
“As our manager said to us, we should not celebrate the massive scoreline before there is still a lot of work to be done and we are a team in progress.
“In the coming weeks, we will take on other teams and before the start of another season, we would have reached that peak where we could boast that we would have a good season.
“Our target is to compete for the Swiss top-flight – which will earn us a place in the Uefa Champions League.”
After an impressive spell at Nigeria Professional Football League outfit Sunshine Stars, Sasere was handed a three-year contract for an undisclosed fee – a deal the player claimed would brighten his chances of playing in the Champions League.
Nonetheless, he was loaned to Maltese Premier League side Hamrun Spartans on a season-long loan move in 2020 with the aim of getting regular playing opportunities.
There, he scored 14 goals as Mark Buttigieg’s team won the Maltese elite division diadem for the first time since the 1990-91 campaign.
With his return to the Cornaredo Stadium, he would be hoping to be a key figure in Braga’s squad despite the presence of former Chelsea star, Demba Ba.
In the 2020-21 campaign, Lugano finished in fourth position after accruing 49 points from 36 games.
