It was one-way traffic for the hosts from the off at the De Grolsch Veste as Thun struggled to make an impact in the Netherlands. Younes Taha was the first to be thwarted on eight minutes, as Sondre Orjasæter’s floated cross split the visitors’ backline, but the Moroccan was on the stretch as he prodded a tame effort at Niklas Steffen.
That strong start propelled Twente on in search of a breakthrough before half-time, and Thun survived another scare shortly after, as John van den Brom’s side saw a goal ruled out after a VAR check. Daouda Weidmann slammed home Wout Weghorst’s threaded pass from 15 yards, but referee Genc Nuza cut short the celebrations after a pitchside review, as Weidmann had fouled Mattias Kait in the build-up.
However, the home side were undeterred, with Weghorst poking Taha’s cross wide from close range and Steffen keeping out Orjasæter, as a gritty Thun held on until the break despite failing to register an attempt on target at the other end.
That pattern of home control continued after the restart, but Thun’s defensive resilience took a major hit on the hour mark, as Patrik Kristal was sent off for a late lunge at Ramiz Zerrouki.
Despite Thun’s protestations, Nuza brandished the red card after a second VAR consultation of the night, and Twente instantly seized their chance. Zerrouki was pushed further forward by his manager after Kristal’s exit, and the Algerian calmly measured a low 20-yard effort past Steffen, as Thun were finally undone.
With the pressure eased late on, Twente only posed a sporadic threat, as Steffen’s sharp reflexes denied Weidmann from making it 2-0 and Van den Brom’s charges settled for a single-goal victory.
Thun’s lack of ambition on their first appearance in the Conference League will be a concern for Gian-Luca Privitelli as the Swiss side have now won just once in their last seven outings in domestic and European matches.
Flashscore Man of the Match: Ramiz Zerrouki (FC Twente)