2008–09 FC Basel season
The 2008–09 FC Basel season began off with various pre-season matches against Swiss lower league teams, as well as against German Bundesliga, Ukrainian Vyscha Liha and Polish Ekstraklasa clubs. Basel's objectives for the year were to regain their Swiss Super League and Swiss Cup titles, as well as qualify for the UEFA Champions League.
| 2008–09 season | |
|---|---|
| Chairman | Gisela Oeri |
| Manager | Christian Gross |
| Swiss Super League | 3rd |
| Swiss Cup | Semi-finals |
| UEFA Champions League | Group stage |
| Top goalscorer | League: Scott Chipperfield (12) All: Eren Derdiyok (14) |
| Highest home attendance | 37,500 vs Barcelona (22 October 2008) |
| Lowest home attendance | 15,730 vs Aarau (4 December 2008) |
Overview edit
After last season, where Basel dominated on the domestic front, winning both the Swiss Super League and Swiss Cup, and reaching the last 32 of the UEFA Cup. They then had the opportunity to qualify for the Champions League. To prepare for the 2008–09 season, FCB added defenders Behrang Safari from Malmö FF and David Abraham from Gimnàstic de Tarragona and midfielders Jurgen Gjasula and Marcos Gelabert from FC St. Gallen.
In the other direction, fans' favourite Daniel Majstorović left the club for AEK Athens, while Kōji Nakata returned to Japan with Kashima Antlers; Vratislav Lokvenc and David Degen's respective loan deals were not re-newed. Prior to the start of the domestic season, Ivan Ergić resigned from the position as club captain and Franco Costanzo was unveiled as the new captain one day before the season began.[2]
The campaign edit
Domestic league edit
Basel were the defending champions and the club's priority aim for this season was to win the domestic league championship again. Basel played their opening game of the season in Bern on 18 July 2008 against Young Boys, which they won 2–1 through goals by substitutes Marko Perović and Benjamin Huggel after Eudis had put the home side ahead. With four wins and one draw, FC Aarau had the best start to the season and were in first place in the table for the first five match days. Basel then took the lead in the table after a 4–1 away win against Zürich. In the following weeks, Basel were able to maintain their lead, before Zürich took first place for the first time that season thanks to the better goal difference. On the 15th matchday, the top match between FCB and FCZ was played and ended with a 1–1 draw and so Basel could maintain its championship lead. On the next match day, however, Basel lost 2–0 against Xamax and since Zürich beat FC Sion 1–0, there was another change to first place. In the last game of the year there was an unexpected result when the bottom of the table Luzern beat Basel 5–1. As a result of this, Zürich were four points ahead of Basel and ten points ahead of third-placed YB winter champions.
In the first round after the winter break, the table leaders played 2–2 in the Zürich city derby against Grasshopper Club, but were still able to build their lead over Basel to five points, as the table runner-up lost 3–2 away against YB. However, this lead was reduced to two points on matchday 21 after FCB won the top game against FCZ 2–1. On the 23rd matchday, Zürich were long behind in the game against Luzern, but equalized five minutes before the end and were able to turn the game into a 3–1 win. In the following round, the YB were defeated 1–3 in Vaduz and thus lost the connection to the top of the table. On the 25th matchday, FCB took the lead in the table. Zürich lost 4–2 in Bern, while Basel beat Vaduz 5–0 at home in the St. Jakob-Park. On the next match day, FCZ regained the top of the table after a 2–1 win against Aarau and because FCB only played 1–1 in Bellinzona. FCB won 3–2 in against Xamax and benefited from the fact that FCT could only draw against Sion and thus FCB took the lead in the table. On matchday 29, the leaders FCB did not get beyond a draw against Bellinzona and because FCZ won their game in Aarau 3–0, they were able to move up to first place. On matchday 32, none of the first three teams won their game: FCZ did not get more than 1–1 against Luzern, but was able to extend their lead to four points because FCB lost 3–1 in Aarau, contrary to all expectations. The following round, the top match between FCZ and FCB took place, which Basel won 3-1 and thus they moved within one point to Zürich. Basel lost 4-1 GC, Zürich won 1–0 in Bellinzona and won the championship. The play-off slot went to Luzern, who lost 5–2 in Bern, while Sion won 5–1 in Vaduz and thus were able to secure their place in the league.[3]
Swiss Cup edit
The 2008–09 Swiss Cup was the 84th season of Switzerland's annual cup competition. It began on 20 September with the first games of Round 1 and ended on 20 May 2009 with the Final held at Stade de Suisse, Bern. The winners earned a place in the play-off round of the UEFA Europa League. FC Basel were the defending champions. Nine Super League teams (FC Vaduz are from Liechtenstein and thus play in the Liechtenstein Cup 2008–09) and all sixteen Challenge League clubs entered this year's competition, as well as thirteen teams from 1. Liga and 26 teams from lower leagues. Teams from both the Super League and Challenge League were seeded in the first round and the teams from the Super League were seeded in the second round. In the first three rounds, the home advantage was granted to the team from the lower league, if applicable.
- Schötz
Basel were drawn against third tier FC Schötz. Basel head coach Christian Gross gave most of his regular rest, including goalkeeper and captain Franco Costanzo and played with a reserve team. Marco Streller returned into the team after a groin operation. Basel controlled the game, but in the first half did not create many chances and so the score was goalless at half-time. Basel played with more speed and higher pressure after the break. They created chances but it wasn't until the 79th minute before they scored that Orhan Mustafi pushed in his shot from the 5 yard box after a cross from Eduardo Rubio. Schötz then reacted and had three chances to equalise, but two shots went well wide and reserve keeper Oliver Stöckli saved the other. Basel's 1–0 win was hard earned.[4]
- Bulle
In the second round Basel were drawn against third tier FC Bulle. The game at the Stade de Bouleyres was played on 17 October in front of 4,600 spectators. Basel started the game concentrated and put the hosts under pressure from the beginning. After a few chances, in the 14th minute Marko Perović put in a hard cross so close to the near post that goalkeeper Chassot couldn't help but knock the ball over the goal line. After taking the lead, Basel kept up the pressure and Eduardo Rubio doubled up two minutes later. FCB then controlled the game without trying too hard, the outsiders tried to react and created a few chances. Suddenly this worked out and Barnabo pulled a goal back in the 27th minute after a solo dribbling and good long-range shot. Then, in the second half Basel increased the tempo. Reto Zanni on the right wing with a good cross to Marco Streller, who pushed the ball in, played 57 minutes. Bulle showed a reaction, but their goal a few minutes later was an off-side effort and disallowed. Basel had a few more chances and, in the overtime, Jurgen Gjasula scored the last goal of the match to make it 4–1 for the favourites.[5]
- Thun
In round three, played on 22 November, FCB was drawn against second tier FC Thun, who hosted the game in the Stadion Lachen in front of 3,550 spectators. Basel took control of the game from the start, and youngster Eren Derdiyok put the guests one goal in advance after 22 minutes and he doubled this up eight minutes later. After the hour Derdiyok completed his hat-trick. Soon after the third goal head coach Christian Gross substituted his goal scorer out, replacing him with Orhan Mustafi. Gross also brought in Jurgen Gjasula, who scored the final goal of the game to give the visitors a 4–0 victory.[6]
- Zürich
The quarter-finals were played in Spring 2009. In the round of the last eight FCZ were matched at home in the Letzigrund against FCB on Wednesday 18 March. The match saw both teams have a good start, they neutralized each other before the penalty box. Zürich took control of the match before half time. In the 23rd minute good positional play by Adrian Nikçi, who outwitted the defense, but then only hit the post. Basel created the better chances after the break. In the 48th minute Andrea Guatelli safely parried a shot from 15 meters from Ivan Ergić. In the 51st minute a header from Marco Streller was also held by the keeper. After a foul on Streller in the 66th minute referee Cyril Zimmermann awarded a penalty for Basel, which Benjamin Huggel converted on the top right-hand corner. Basel controlled the game, leaving FCZ with only one further goal chance. After a foul by Huggel with 5 minutes left to play, Almen Abdi took the free kick from about 18 meters, centrally in front of the goal, but he shoots far over it. Then, free kick for Basel from a good central position, Carlitos places the free kick on the crossbar. Game over, one goal was enough, 1–0 for FCB.[7]
- Young Boys
The semi-final between Young Boys and FCB took place on Thursday 16 April. Both teams started enthusiastically in the with 31,120 spectators sold-out Stade de Suisse. After a few minutes, Thomas Häberli had a possibility with his head, but he was offside. YB put on the pressure mainly on the right through Carlos Varela and Christian Schwegler. However, the decisive last pass was always imprecise, so that no great chances arose. Before the break, two scenes occurred in front of both goals. Scott Chipperfields shot was thwarted by Marco Wölfli with a good save (38). On the other side, Häberli was held back briefly, referee Bertolini decided on penalty. But Basel's goalkeeper and captain Franco Costanzo saved the penalty kicked by Mario Raimondi (45). The course of the game hardly changed after the break. YB had a lot of possession, but the guests were also often in front of the goal. In the 30-minute "extra time", YB looked fresher, but no goals fell. It came to a penalty shoot-out. Here YB goalie Marco Wölfli became the hero. He saved Huggel, David Abraham and Jurgen Gjasula's penalties. Gilles Yapi Yapo, Felix Bastians and Marco Schneuwly all scored for YB and they reached the Cup final.[8]
- Conclusion
Basel's aim for the Swiss Cup was to retain the title and this was not achieved, but the qualification for the semi-final was a good result.
Champions League edit
- IFK Göteborg
Basel entered the Champions League in the Second Qualifying Round and were drawn against IFK Göteborg of Sweden. The first leg was on 30 July 2008 at Ullevi. After the first 90 minutes it was an advantage for FC Basel 1893 because the Swiss champions scored an away goal in holding IFK Göteborg to a 1–1 draw in Sweden. Benjamin Huggel scored for Basel, breaking the deadlock after 26 minutes, as he struck with a back-post header following Jürgen Gjasula's corner. However, the lead was only short as Jakob Johansson set up Thomas Olsson to restore parity just six minutes later. IFK were then played forwards but could not find a second goal. Likewise Basel had nothing to show for their late pressure as David Abraham, Gjasula and Huggel failed to net the ball with their chances, the end score remained 1–1.[9]
- Return match
The second leg took place on 6 August at St. Jakob-Park. Göteborg started into the game fastest and having come close to scoring within a few seconds, they soon had the goal that they needed to remain in the fixture as in the 19th minute Pontus Wernbloom finished off a fast counterattack. This shook Basel to life and Benjamin Huggel, the man who put them ahead last week in Gothenburg, managed the same feat again as he headed in a Jürgen Gjasula corner. The only player who was added to Basel's starting lineup compared to the first leg was Valentin Stocker and he nearly scored the home team's second, but Göteborg's goalkeeper Kim Christensen was able to smother the effort. Although after the interval Basel maintained the pressure, Göteborg scored the second goal and this again came following a quickly played break. It was finished off by Robin Söder after Basel goalkeeper and captain Franco Costanzo could only knock the first attempt to the side. Now Basel required two goals to overturn Göteborg's away-goals advantage. They achieved the first with 19 minutes left to play as Scott Chipperfield stretched himself to put home an Eren Derdiyok cross. The home supporters sensed the chance as Basel were awarded a penalty for a handball with just six minutes left to play. Ivan Ergić made no mistakes with the spot kick and it was he who, in the added injury time, out played two Göteborg defenders to settle the match 4–2.[10]
- Vitória de Guimarães
Basel then faced Vitória SC of the Portuguese Liga in the third qualifying round at Estádio D. Afonso Henriques in Guimarães. Having already played five league games and the first two qualifiers, Basel had quickly found their rhythm and attempted to force the pace from the beginning, both Valentin Stocker and Ivan Ergić went close to goal in the opening minutes of the first half. Stocker had had the first chance at goal after eight minutes. With a neat pass coming from Basel's Portuguese midfielder Carlitos who set up the chance for his team-mate, but Stocker fired left footed just beyond the post. Ergić also had a good chance, but this also went wide. Basel played neatly and waited for counterattack opportunities, this although they nearly got caught out twice in quick succession. First Marquinho volleyed just off-target after 30 minutes and minutes later he sent a header towards the goal but this drew a comfortable save from goalkeeper Franco Constanzo. Basel pushed forward. Stocker had a good chance. Carlitos also tried his luck with a good shot from long range and Ergić produced a header after a corner, which was shortly before half-time. As the second half got underway, Eren Derdiyok came close to scoring for Basel with a left-foot shot. Stocker also had another good chance. Then, at the other end, a number of Guimarães strikers were unable to finish off a right-wing cross and eventually the ball was cleared. The home team were unable to outwit the stubborn and hard Basel defence, not even after coach Manuel Cajuda brought in two new strikers in an attempt to strengthen the attacking force in the second half. The game ended goalless.[11]
- Return match
The second leg was played on 27 August at St. Jakob-Park. Basel immediately took the initiative and pushed forward. As an early fine passing move unlocked the Guimarães defence, Ivan Ergić's final pass found Valentin Stocker, who put the hosts one up after 11 minutes. However, the Portuguese team were soon back on level terms. Not even four minutes later they achieved a potentially decisive away goal as Fajardo put home from the penalty spot, following François Marque's foul on João Alves. Basel created good opportunities through Marcos Gelabert and Eren Derdiyok and even if they had more possession and even if they were the stronger attacking team for the rest of the half, their efforts were all in vain because the hard-working Guimarães defence held tight. After the restart Manuel Cajuda's team came out as the more adventurous side. First Yves Desmarets was well-placed and he sent a hard shot narrowly wide of goalkeeper Franco Costanzo's left-hand post. The Basel defence caused further concern just a few moments and let João Alves free and he directed a dangerous header on target. Realising their danger, Basel then woke up and increased the pressure in their game on Guimarães. Stocker's shot was close and Derdiyok's shot went wide. Their forcing tempo then paid off as Stocker pushed a pass to his striker partner Derdiyok and he fired his shot low, beyond Nilson. Because they were a goal behind, Guimarães were forced to do the pressing, but as they equalised for a second time, through substitute Roberto Calmon Félix with just three minutes left, he was ruled offside by referee Pieter Vink and his linesman. FCB held on to their 2–1 lead and secured their qualification to the tournament's group stages.[12]
- Group stage
Basel's hopes for their international season dropped somewhat because they were drawn into a strong Group C alongside Barcelona, Sporting CP and Shakhtar Donetsk. Barça were one of the favorites to win the trophy, and Basel had bad memories of the Sporting team, who had knocked them out of the 2007–08 UEFA Cup knockout stage this year in February. As third opponents Shakhtar had won the Ukrainian double (league and Cup) the previous season. Nevethless coach Christian Gross stated that remaining in Europe over the winter break was their aim. This meant at least third position in the group, which would see then continue in the 2008–09 UEFA Cup.
- Shakhtar
Basel played their opening game of the group stage at St. Jakob-Park on 16 September against Shakhtar. Being urged on by the loud vocal chants from the supporters massed behind Captain Franco Costanzo's goal, Basel pressed forward promisingly from the start. Striker Eren Derdiyok, returning first time after suffering a thigh injury, almost turned the early pressure positive, but he hit an early header just wide. Shakhtar's coach Mircea Lucescu had promised his team would go out to play for the victory. After Basel's early enthusiasm had worn off, the visitors became the more menacing and Jádson, one of five Brazilians in the starting eleven, proved a constant concern for the Basel defence. On 16 minutes the playmaker rushed down the right and supplied a cross, which Luiz Adriano narrowly failed to turn goalwards. Although it was the quick passing moves which threatened to open up the home defence more than once, it was to be that the set-pieces that would ultimately prove their undoing. Fernandinho sent one long-range effort fly over the bar. Basel central defender François Marque with a clumsy challenge on Luiz Adriano about thirty metres out, allowed the deep-lying playmaker Fernandinho another chance. His kick was still rising upwards as it passed keeper Costanzo for the first goal. Basel's game was only occasional as Shakhtar dominated the first half. They were rewarded for the efforts with the second goal in the added time of the half. Right back Reto Zanni committed a handball and Jádson struck a hard free-kick which was missed by everybody as it arced in to the right-hand corner of Costanzo's net. Basel coach Christian Gross reacted to the team's problems at half-time and took out Derdiyok and Valentin Stocker. Their replacements Orhan Mustafi and Eduardo made an immediate impact. After just four minutes in the second half Mustafi forced Shakhtar keeper Andriy Pyatov to his first save with an angled drive. Then Carlitos's smart pass gave Eduardo his first chance, but he shot wide of Pyatov's right-hand post. Because of their two-goal lead, Shakhtar controlled the game and were less adventurous than they had been before. Yet the Ukrainian champions nearly hit a third after 66 minutes. Basel left-back Ronny Hodel was overwhelmed by the speed of the break and Luiz Adriano ran clear of him into the open space and passed to Brandão in the box. Costanzo saved the Brazilian's first effort and then reacted superbly to fiercely-struck follow-up from Vyacheslav Shevchuk on to a post. David Abraham scored a late consolation goal for the home team.[13]
- Sporting CP
Sporting Clube de Portugal were the opponents on Matchday 2, played in the Estádio José Alvalade on 1 October. The home team started well, played forwards and Derlei proved he was a dangerous striker. But Basel were soon in the game, Jürgen Gjasula made space for himself, but his early shot but failed to be dangerous for Rui Patrício. Not long afterwards Tonel was forced to make a desperate clearance so that Marco Streller did not have a clear run at goal. The hosts were putting more pressure on, but Basel had the first clear-cut chance threw defender David Abraham. The Argentinian centre-back was given plenty of time and space to take on Streller's pass, but his shot went wide. Derlei had the next chance but failed to control the ball. Sporting had two better chances before half-time, through Leandro Romagnoli and Fábio Rochemback. After 49 minutes Derlei almost broke the deadlock, but he headed João Moutinho's acrobatic overhead cross against the post. But ten minutes after half time the Basel defenders beat themselves with a bizarre own-goal. Abraham attempted to clear under pressure struck the ball hard, but it hit Reto Zanni and looped back behind goalkeeper Franco Costanzo into the net. Two minutes later Romagnoli almost increased the lead, but the keeper fisted his powerful shot into the out. Basel reacted, but Benjamin Huggel was denied the equaliser as Rui Patrício made a sprawling save. The goalie was then forced by Gjasula's free-kick to tip the ball over the top. In the last minutes Sporting exploited the extra space that the forward moving visitors were leaving behind them. First Derlei was unlucky with a header, again being denied by the post. He then had an effort ruled out for offside by Italian referee Nicola Rizzoli and his linesman, but he found his efforts rewarded as he netted the 86th minute. Despite defending well and causing a few scares at the other end of the park, Basel were defeated 2–0.[14]
- Barcelona
In advance to game on matchday 3 at St. Jakob-Park against Barcelona on 22 October, it was suggested[by whom?] that Basel were the more ambitious side, because head coach Christian Gross lined up both Marco Streller and Eren Derdiyok in the attack. Gross had said he had trimmed his defence and would not like to see his side go one down in the opening stage. On the other side Josep Guardiola put his stars Samuel Eto'o, Andrés Iniesta and Thierry Henry on the bench. These suggestions were soon disproved as Lionel Messi played a double pass with Dani Alves and ran on to the Brazilian's chipped return pass to tip the ball in from the edge of the six-yard box. The home side recovered from that crushing blow, but suddenly found themselves two goals behind. Xavi passed to Sergio Busquets on the right and the midfielder drove the ball between goalkeeper Franco Costanzo’s legs. The Basel keeper then denied Xavi's effort a few minutes later. But Barça continued their pressing and scored as Bojan Krkić created himself space and hammered his shot into the lower left corner after 22 minutes. The Basel defence blocked a further Krkić shot and keeper Costanzo reacted well as Alves followed-up. Basel could have been four down before the first half-hour had been played. Head coach Gross took out Eduardo Rubio after the break, he brought Valentin Stocker, but within 60 seconds of the restart Costanzo was beaten again as Krkić finished off a quick played counterattack with his hard shot. Only two minutes later, Alexander Hleb and Messi combined to supply Xavi who netted the fifth. At the other end, Streller eventually had a shot at Víctor Valdés's goal as he outran Carles Puyol and hammered a right foot shot, but it was swept away. Basel created another few chances through Derdiyok, Stocker and Streller but couldn't realise and lost 0–5.[15]
- Barcelona
The return game against Barcelona in the Camp Nou was on 4 November in front of 49,000 spectators. Home team coach Josep Guardiola left Lionel Messi, Xavi and Samuel Eto'o on the bench and, therefore, much was expected from Andrés Iniesta and, luckily for Barça he was on form on the day, ready to run and with a good eye. He linked-up well with Thierry Henry and created two good chances for the Frenchman, the first of which was arched narrowly beyond keeper Franco Costanzo's left-hand post. Then Iniesta himself had the next chance and he produced a low drive, but the keeper matched the chance. Costanzo and central defender François Marque both played a good game. Barça missed another opportunity to take the lead before half-time, as Sylvinho delivered a free-kick which Henry met with a header in towards the top corner of the goal but Costanzo matched this chance too. Again, after the break the Argentinian keeper confirmed his credits as Henry passed the ball into space in front of Bojan Krkić, who was able to run clear, but Costanzo was able to block the chance with his feet. Guardiola was unhappy with his team and so brought on Xavi and Messi and they rewarded him within two minutes. Messi caught a loose ball and burst forward, played a one-two with Henry and slotted the ball home into the bottom corner of the net. This was Messi's fourth Champions League goal in as many matches. Xavi also made an impact, he forced yet another save from Costanzo with a free-kick. Iniesta was forced out with an injury to his right thigh in the 67th minute. Gerard Piqué also played two good set-pieces, but instead the second goal of the match came at the other end. Carlitos swang in a right-wing cross directly to Eren Derdiyok who smashed a volley past Victor Valdés to the 1–1 end score.[16]
- Shakhtar
The return game against Shakhtar Donetsk in the stadium RSK Olimpiyskyi was on 26 November. Due to the absence of centre-back Dmytro Chyhrynskyi and right-winger Ilsinho through injury, plus suspended striker Brandão, home coach Mircea Lucescu had to make changes in his team. Luiz Adriano played as middle striker and he was aided by Willian, Jádson and Fernandinho. That latter pair combined well and they nearly opened the scoring during the first five minutes. First, Jadson swept a ball wide, then Fernandinho's attempt was pushed over the bar by goalkeeper and captain Franco Costanzo. Basel had trouble starting into the game, finding it difficult to get a hold on the pitch, which was soggy and heavy following the heavy rain earlier in the day. Striker Eren Derdiyok didn't see much of the ball in the early minutes. Nevertheless, Costanzo had to remain concentrated and he dealt well following a fierce free-kick by Darijo Srna. Willian then took a shot that went wide. After about half-hour, Basel seemed to have sorted their problems out and were into the game. Then Shakhtar struck. Tomáš Hübschman sent in a cross from the left, which Oleksiy Gai controlled the ball and played back to Jadson, who rushed into the box to push the ball home. Shakhtar goalkeeper Andriy Pyatov saved an Eduardo effort just before half-time. Both teams started fast into the second half, Valentin Stocker had his shot blocked on the line, and at the other end Fernandinho also had his effort cleared off the line. Five minutes into the second half, Willian doubled the score, coming from the left-hand touchline, swerved around several defenders before arching the ball inside the far post, despite Costanzo's desperate dive. The visitors replied and pushed and worried the Shakhtar defence, but suddenly were three down. A quick played counterattack, William sent Srna down the left and his cross was pushed home at the far post by Jadson. The Brazilian completed his hat-trick seven minutes later, Willian crossed from the left Jadson finished off. Ukrainian international Yevhen Seleznyov with a left-footed shot from just inside the box in the 75th minute gave the game its final 50 score line.[17]
- Sporting CP
Matchday 6 in the St. Jakob-Park on 9 December against Sporting CP was Basel's last game in their journey through European competition for this season. The home team had the greater share of possession in the opening. Sporting striker Derlei had the first chance, though, with an early shot across goal at the end of a swift counterattack. While Basel continued to play neatly, but that without carrying out much threat to the Sporting goal, the speed with which the visitors could turn defence into attack was menacing. A measured ball found Yannick Djaló racing clear, and though his cross was met by a powerful header from the again unmarked Derlei, Franco Costanzo parried this. João Moutinho then flashed a shot just over, and Sporting finally made the breakthrough on 19 minutes. Marat Izmailov's low cross from the right hand side was turned in from point-blank range by the quickly onrushing Djaló. The early goal and torrential rain that fell during the entire match failed to dampen the enthusiasm of the Basel fans, who could have been celebrating only a third goal in the section for their side when Fábio Rochemback lost possession to present Benjamin Huggel with a shooting chance, but the midfielder sent a fierce shot just wide of the goal. Ivan Ergić did find the target soon after, but his drive lacked sufficient power to trouble goalkeeper Tiago, while Djaló may have scored a second, had his stand foot not slipped after he had cleverly created space inside the box. The half-time introduction of Valentin Stocker gave Basel increased power down the left wing and, seconds after the restart, an early cross from him led to Marco Streller shooting wide of the goal. Huggel again tested goalkeeper Tiago as the hosts sought for the equaliser. Sporting were clearly content to let the waves of pressure break on their back four, and play their counterattacks with pace. Djaló tried a number of stepovers, as he tried to tease center back Beg Ferati on the left, but despite getting round the Basel defender, his cross saw the diminutive Moutinho comfortably outmuscled by Basel's other center back François Marque. Stocker's direct approach won a corner, which he took himself, but the high soaring Ergić headed over the goal. However, Djaló miscued his shot when Marco Caneira's cross found him with lots of space just inside the penalty box. Fabien Frei eventually brought a save out of Tiago with a low drive 16 minutes from time, while Stocker forced the goalkeeper into two stops in quick succession. The final score 0–1 meant the end of Basel's journey through the European competition for this season.[18]
Club edit
Management edit
| Position | Staff |
|---|---|
| Manager | Christian Gross |
| Assistant manager | Fritz Schmid until 13 January 2009[19] |
| Conditioning Coach | Marco Walker from 16 January 2009[20] |
| Fitness Coach | Thomas Grüter |
| Fitness Coach | Romain Crevoisier |
| Youth Team Coach | Patrick Rahmen |
| Youth Team Co-Coach | Sandro Kamber |
Last updated: 17 May 2008
Source: [citation needed]
Other information edit
| Chairman | Mrs Gisela Oeri |
| Vice Chairman | Mr Bernhard Heusler[22] |
| Ground (capacity and dimensions) | St. Jakob-Park (42,500 / 120x80 m) |
Source: Official Site
Players edit
First team squad edit
The following is the list of the Basel first team squad. It also includes players that were in the squad the day the season started on 18 July 2008, but subsequently left the club after that date.
As of 30 June 2009, accounting for official transfers: Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
|
|
Multiple nationalities edit
- 1 Franco Costanzo
- 7 Jurgen Gjasula
- 11 Scott Chipperfield
- 13 Daniel Unal
- 15 Federico Almerares
- 17 Eduardo Rubio
- 20 Behrang Safari
- 22 Ivan Ergić
- 28 Beg Ferati
- 29 Orhan Mustafi
- 31 Eren Derdiyok
- 33 Serkan Şahin
Summer transfers edit
In edit
| 5 | MF | GER | Jurgen Gjasula (from FC St. Gallen – free transfer)[23] |
| 6 | MF | ARG | Marcos Gelabert (from FC St. Gallen – 644.000 SFr)[24] |
| 10 | MF | SRB | Marko Perović (from Red Star Belgrade – 1.288.000 SFr)[25] |
| 13 | MF | SUI | Daniel Unal (from AS Roma)[26] |
| 15 | FW | ARG | Federico Almerares (from River Plate)[27] |
| 17 | FW | CHI | Eduardo Rubio (loan from Cruz Azul with buy-out option)[28] |
| 17 | DF | SUI | Patrik Baumann (loan return from FC Concordia Basel) |
| 19 | DF | ARG | David Abraham (from Gimnàstic de Tarragona)[26] |
| 20 | DF | SWE | Behrang Safari (from Malmö FF – 644.000 SFr)[24] |
| 25 | FW | MKD | Orhan Mustafi (from FC Zürich – free transfer)[29] |
| 26 | MF | SUI | Pascal Schürpf (from Basel U-21)[30] |
| 33 | MF | SUI | Samet Gündüz (from Basel U-21)[30] |
| 35 | GK | SUI | Oliver Stöckli (free transfer)[31] |
Out edit
| 5 | DF | SWE | Daniel Majstorović (to AEK Athens)[32] |
| 6 | DF | JPN | Kōji Nakata (to Kashima Antlers)[32] |
| 7 | MF | SUI | David Degen (loan return to Borussia Mönchengladbach) |
| 12 | MF | SEN | Papa Malick Ba (contract not re-newed) |
| 15 | MF | LIE | Franz Burgmeier (Mutual Consent)[33] |
| 18 | GK | LBR | Louis Crayton (to D.C. United)[27] |
| 19 | FW | CZE | Vratislav Lokvenc (loan return to Red Bull Salzburg)[32] |
| 29 | MF | SUI | Simone Grippo (to Chievo) |
Out on loan edit
| 24 | MF | SUI | Cabral (on loan to Sevilla)[34] |
| 33 | MF | SUI | Samet Gündüz (on loan to FC Wil)[2] |
| -- | DF | SUI | Dominik Ritter (on loan to Concordia Basel)[2] |
| -- | DF | SUI | Patrik Baumann (on loan to Concordia Basel) |
| -- | GK | SUI | Yann Sommer (on loan to FC Vaduz)[35] |
Winter transfers edit
In edit
| 27 | GK | SUI | Yann Sommer (from FC Vaduz – loan return)[36] |
| 33 | DF | TUR | Serkan Şahin (from Basel U-21) |
| - | MF | SUI | Xherdan Shaqiri (from Basel U-21)[37] |
Out edit
| 4 | DF | SUI | Michel Morganella (to Palermo)[38] |
Out on loan edit
| 27 | MF | SUI | Pascal Schürpf (on loan to Concordia Basel)[39] |
| 33 | MF | SUI | Samet Gündüz (on loan to Concordia Basel)[39] |
| -- | DF | SUI | Sabri Boumelaha (on loan to Concordia Basel)[40] |
Starting 11 edit
Last updated: 20 November 2008 |
|
Overall edit
Basel participated in the following major competitions: the Swiss Super League, the Swiss Cup and the UEFA Champions League.
| Competition | Started round | Final position / round | First match | Last match |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Swiss Super League | — | 3rd | 18 July 2008 | 29 May 2009 |
| Swiss Cup | Round 1 | Semi-final | 20 September 2008 | 13 April 2009 |
| UEFA Champions League | Second qualifying round | 2008–09 UEFA Champions League Group stage | 30 July 2008 | 9 December 2008 |
Source: Competitions
Results and fixtures edit
Friendly matches edit
Pre-season friendlies edit
| 2 July 2008 Pre-season | BSC Old Boys | 1 – 3 | Basel | Stadion Schützenmatte, Basel |
| 19:00 | Boukaakiou 64' (1:2) | Summary | 44' (0:1) Carlitos 57' (0:2) Ergić 75' (1:3) Mustafi | Attendance: 2,218 Referee: Sascha Amhof |
| 5 July 2008 Pre-season | Basel | 2 – 3 | Shakhtar Donetsk | Stadion Schützenmatte, Basel |
| 18:00 | Stocker 32' (1:2) Ergić 36' (2:2) | Summary | 15' (pen. 0:1) Fernandinho 27' (0:2) Hladkyy 53' (2:3) Seleznyov | Attendance: 1,500 Referee: Pascal Erlachner |
Uhrencup edit
The Uhrencup is a club football tournament, held annually in Grenchen. It is Europe's most traditional club football tournament.
| 10 July 2008 Uhrencup Round 1 | Basel | 6 – 1 | Legia Warsaw | Stadion Brühl, Grenchen |
| 20:45 | Gjasula 15' (1:0) Marque 21' Carlitos 44' (2:0) Carlitos 56' (3:0) Schürpf 67' (4:1) Mustafi 85' (5:1) Mustafi 89' (6:1) | Summary | 19' Borysiuk 66' (pen. 3:1) Iwański | Attendance: 6,791 Referee: Nicole Petignat |
| 8 July 2008 Uhrencup Round 2 | Basel | 2 – 2 | Borussia Dortmund | Stadion Brühl, Grenchen |
| 19:30 | Santana 19' (o.g. 1:0) Gjasula 65' (2:1) | Summary | 34' (1:1) Kehl 85' (2:2) Valdez | Attendance: 8,094 Referee: Claudio Circhetta |
Pre-season/First half of season friendlies edit
| 9 September 2008 Mid-season | SV Muttenz | 0 – 5 | Basel | Sportplatz Margelacker, Muttenz |
| 19:30 | Summary | 1' (0:1) Abraham 26' (0:2) Gjasula 51' (0:3) Eduardo 81' (0:4) Almerares 87' (0:5) Almerares | Attendance: 1,220 Referee: Daniel Wermelinger |
| 14 October 2008 Mid-season | Concordia Basel | 3 – 3 | Basel | Stadion Rankhof, Basel |
| 14:00 | Bieli 59' (1:2) Mathys 83' (2:2) Schweizer 92' (3:2) | Summary | 51' (0:1) Mustafi 57' (0:2) Mustafi 93' (3:3) Almerares | Attendance: 400 Referee: Jan Fluri (Ettingen) |
Winter break/Second half of season friendlies edit
| 15 January 2009 Winter break | Concordia Basel | 4 – 3 | Basel | Stadion Schützenmatte, Basel |
| 12:00 | Bieli 39' (1:1) Tcheutchoua 59' (2:3) Bieli 62' (pen. 3:3) Mathys 76' (4:3) | Summary | 31' (0:1) Gelabert 49' (1:2) Mustafi 50' (1:3) Chipperfield | Attendance: 200 Referee: Alain Bieri (Solothurn) |
| 25 January 2009 Training camp | Basel | 1 – 1 | Wisła Kraków | Municipal Manolo Maciá, Santa Pola |
| 16:00 | Derdiyok 19' (1:0) | Summary | 88' (1:1) Cléber | Attendance: 150 Referee: Francisco Gomez Liarte |
| 31 January 2009 Winter break | Neuchâtel Xamax | 2 – 0 | Basel | Stade de la Maladière, Neuchâtel |
| 15:00 | Ovarec 35' (1:0) Kroupi 36' Niçoise 83' (2:0) | Summary | 36' Abraham | Attendance: 800 Referee: Jérôme Laperrière (Bagnes) |
| 17 February 2009 Mid-season | Basel | 3 – 1 | Sochaux | Youth Campus Basel, Münchenstein |
| 15:30 | Chipperfield 4' (1:0) Almerares 21' (2:0) Almerares 31' (3:0) | Summary | 45' (3:1) Tulasne | Attendance: 100 Referee: Alain Bieri (Bern) |
| 24 February 2009 Mid-season | Basel | 2 – 0 | Winterthur | Youth Campus Basel, Münchenstein |
| 15:00 | Almerares 50' (1:0) Eduardo 71' (2:0) | Summary | Attendance: 300 Referee: Adrien Jaccottet (Basel) |
| 10 March 2009 Mid-season | Basel | 2 – 2 | Basel U-21 | Youth Campus Basel, Münchenstein |
| 15:30 | Mustafi 48' (1:1) Almerares 51' (2:1) | Summary | 20' (0:1) Weisskopf 85' (2:2) Osmani | Referee: Adrien Jaccottet |
| 31 March 2009 Mid-season | Basel | 4 – 1 | La Chaux-de-Fonds | Youth Campus Basel, Münchenstein |
| 16:00 | Streller 13' (1:0) Carlitos 34' (2:0) Zoua 68' (3:0) Zoua 85' (4:0) | Summary | Attendance: 200 Referee: Adrien Jaccottet (Basel) |
Swiss Super League edit
First half of season edit
| 23 July 2008 Round 2 | Basel | 1 – 0 | Grasshopper | St. Jakob-Park, Basel |
| 19:45 | Abraham 42' Perović 46' (1:0) Zanni 56' Gjasula 92' | Summary | 44' Bobadilla 74' Salatić | Attendance: 23,915 Referee: Cyril Zimmermann (Münsingen) |
| 26 July 2008 Round 3 | Basel | 2 – 0 | Bellinzona | St. Jakob-Park, Basel |
| 19:45 | Chipperfield 8' (1:0) Ergić 75' (2:0) Stocker 81' | Summary | 53' La Rocca 59' Wahab 74' Bernardet | Attendance: 19,829 Referee: Daniel Wermelinger |
| 17 August 2008 Round 6 | Zürich | 1 – 4 | Basel | Letzigrund, Zürich |
| 16:00 | Abdi 41' (1:2) Abdi 43' | Summary | 13' (0:1) Stocker 21' (0:2) Chipperfield 54' (1:3) Carlitos 71' Gelabert 84' Morganella 90+1' (1:4) Carlitos | Attendance: 14,200 Referee: Sascha Kever |
| 30 August 2008 Round 8 | Aarau | 0 – 2 | Basel | Stadion Brügglifeld, Aarau |
| 17:45 | Summary | 29' Rubio 45' Chipperfield 2008, basel, season, began, with, various, season, matches, against, swiss, lower, league, teams, well, against, german, bundesliga, ukrainian, vyscha, liha, polish, ekstraklasa, clubs, basel, objectives, year, were, regain, their, swiss, super, league, swiss,. The 2008 09 FC Basel season began off with various pre season matches against Swiss lower league teams as well as against German Bundesliga Ukrainian Vyscha Liha and Polish Ekstraklasa clubs Basel s objectives for the year were to regain their Swiss Super League and Swiss Cup titles as well as qualify for the UEFA Champions League FC Basel2008 09 seasonChairmanGisela OeriManagerChristian GrossSwiss Super League3rdSwiss CupSemi finalsUEFA Champions LeagueGroup stageTop goalscorerLeague Scott Chipperfield 12 All Eren Derdiyok 14 Highest home attendance37 500 vs Barcelona 22 October 2008 Lowest home attendance15 730 vs Aarau 4 December 2008 2007 082009 10 Contents 1 Overview 2 The campaign 2 1 Domestic league 2 2 Swiss Cup 2 3 Champions League 3 Club 3 1 Management 3 2 Kit 3 3 Other information 4 Players 4 1 First team squad 4 1 1 Multiple nationalities 4 2 Summer transfers 4 2 1 In 4 2 2 Out 4 2 3 Out on loan 4 3 Winter transfers 4 3 1 In 4 3 2 Out 4 3 3 Out on loan 4 4 Starting 11 4 5 Overall 5 Results and fixtures 5 1 Friendly matches 5 1 1 Pre season friendlies 5 1 2 Uhrencup 5 1 3 Pre season First half of season friendlies 5 1 4 Winter break Second half of season friendlies 5 2 Swiss Super League 5 2 1 First half of season 5 2 2 Second half of season 5 2 3 League table 5 3 Swiss Cup 2008 09 5 4 UEFA Champions League 5 4 1 Second qualifying round 5 4 2 Third qualifying round 5 4 3 Group stage 5 4 4 Group C table 6 Player statistics 6 1 League goalscorers assists 6 2 Swiss Cup goalscorers assists 6 3 European goalscorers assists 6 4 Total goalscorers assists 7 Honours and awards 7 1 Team 7 2 Individual 8 References 9 External linksOverview editAfter last season where Basel dominated on the domestic front winning both the Swiss Super League and Swiss Cup and reaching the last 32 of the UEFA Cup They then had the opportunity to qualify for the Champions League To prepare for the 2008 09 season FCB added defenders Behrang Safari from Malmo FF and David Abraham from Gimnastic de Tarragona and midfielders Jurgen Gjasula and Marcos Gelabert from FC St Gallen In the other direction fans favourite Daniel Majstorovic left the club for AEK Athens while Kōji Nakata returned to Japan with Kashima Antlers Vratislav Lokvenc and David Degen s respective loan deals were not re newed Prior to the start of the domestic season Ivan Ergic resigned from the position as club captain and Franco Costanzo was unveiled as the new captain one day before the season began 2 The campaign editDomestic league edit Basel were the defending champions and the club s priority aim for this season was to win the domestic league championship again Basel played their opening game of the season in Bern on 18 July 2008 against Young Boys which they won 2 1 through goals by substitutes Marko Perovic and Benjamin Huggel after Eudis had put the home side ahead With four wins and one draw FC Aarau had the best start to the season and were in first place in the table for the first five match days Basel then took the lead in the table after a 4 1 away win against Zurich In the following weeks Basel were able to maintain their lead before Zurich took first place for the first time that season thanks to the better goal difference On the 15th matchday the top match between FCB and FCZ was played and ended with a 1 1 draw and so Basel could maintain its championship lead On the next match day however Basel lost 2 0 against Xamax and since Zurich beat FC Sion 1 0 there was another change to first place In the last game of the year there was an unexpected result when the bottom of the table Luzern beat Basel 5 1 As a result of this Zurich were four points ahead of Basel and ten points ahead of third placed YB winter champions In the first round after the winter break the table leaders played 2 2 in the Zurich city derby against Grasshopper Club but were still able to build their lead over Basel to five points as the table runner up lost 3 2 away against YB However this lead was reduced to two points on matchday 21 after FCB won the top game against FCZ 2 1 On the 23rd matchday Zurich were long behind in the game against Luzern but equalized five minutes before the end and were able to turn the game into a 3 1 win In the following round the YB were defeated 1 3 in Vaduz and thus lost the connection to the top of the table On the 25th matchday FCB took the lead in the table Zurich lost 4 2 in Bern while Basel beat Vaduz 5 0 at home in the St Jakob Park On the next match day FCZ regained the top of the table after a 2 1 win against Aarau and because FCB only played 1 1 in Bellinzona FCB won 3 2 in against Xamax and benefited from the fact that FCT could only draw against Sion and thus FCB took the lead in the table On matchday 29 the leaders FCB did not get beyond a draw against Bellinzona and because FCZ won their game in Aarau 3 0 they were able to move up to first place On matchday 32 none of the first three teams won their game FCZ did not get more than 1 1 against Luzern but was able to extend their lead to four points because FCB lost 3 1 in Aarau contrary to all expectations The following round the top match between FCZ and FCB took place which Basel won 3 1 and thus they moved within one point to Zurich Basel lost 4 1 GC Zurich won 1 0 in Bellinzona and won the championship The play off slot went to Luzern who lost 5 2 in Bern while Sion won 5 1 in Vaduz and thus were able to secure their place in the league 3 Swiss Cup edit The 2008 09 Swiss Cup was the 84th season of Switzerland s annual cup competition It began on 20 September with the first games of Round 1 and ended on 20 May 2009 with the Final held at Stade de Suisse Bern The winners earned a place in the play off round of the UEFA Europa League FC Basel were the defending champions Nine Super League teams FC Vaduz are from Liechtenstein and thus play in the Liechtenstein Cup 2008 09 and all sixteen Challenge League clubs entered this year s competition as well as thirteen teams from 1 Liga and 26 teams from lower leagues Teams from both the Super League and Challenge League were seeded in the first round and the teams from the Super League were seeded in the second round In the first three rounds the home advantage was granted to the team from the lower league if applicable Schotz Basel were drawn against third tier FC Schotz Basel head coach Christian Gross gave most of his regular rest including goalkeeper and captain Franco Costanzo and played with a reserve team Marco Streller returned into the team after a groin operation Basel controlled the game but in the first half did not create many chances and so the score was goalless at half time Basel played with more speed and higher pressure after the break They created chances but it wasn t until the 79th minute before they scored that Orhan Mustafi pushed in his shot from the 5 yard box after a cross from Eduardo Rubio Schotz then reacted and had three chances to equalise but two shots went well wide and reserve keeper Oliver Stockli saved the other Basel s 1 0 win was hard earned 4 Bulle In the second round Basel were drawn against third tier FC Bulle The game at the Stade de Bouleyres was played on 17 October in front of 4 600 spectators Basel started the game concentrated and put the hosts under pressure from the beginning After a few chances in the 14th minute Marko Perovic put in a hard cross so close to the near post that goalkeeper Chassot couldn t help but knock the ball over the goal line After taking the lead Basel kept up the pressure and Eduardo Rubio doubled up two minutes later FCB then controlled the game without trying too hard the outsiders tried to react and created a few chances Suddenly this worked out and Barnabo pulled a goal back in the 27th minute after a solo dribbling and good long range shot Then in the second half Basel increased the tempo Reto Zanni on the right wing with a good cross to Marco Streller who pushed the ball in played 57 minutes Bulle showed a reaction but their goal a few minutes later was an off side effort and disallowed Basel had a few more chances and in the overtime Jurgen Gjasula scored the last goal of the match to make it 4 1 for the favourites 5 Thun In round three played on 22 November FCB was drawn against second tier FC Thun who hosted the game in the Stadion Lachen in front of 3 550 spectators Basel took control of the game from the start and youngster Eren Derdiyok put the guests one goal in advance after 22 minutes and he doubled this up eight minutes later After the hour Derdiyok completed his hat trick Soon after the third goal head coach Christian Gross substituted his goal scorer out replacing him with Orhan Mustafi Gross also brought in Jurgen Gjasula who scored the final goal of the game to give the visitors a 4 0 victory 6 Zurich The quarter finals were played in Spring 2009 In the round of the last eight FCZ were matched at home in the Letzigrund against FCB on Wednesday 18 March The match saw both teams have a good start they neutralized each other before the penalty box Zurich took control of the match before half time In the 23rd minute good positional play by Adrian Nikci who outwitted the defense but then only hit the post Basel created the better chances after the break In the 48th minute Andrea Guatelli safely parried a shot from 15 meters from Ivan Ergic In the 51st minute a header from Marco Streller was also held by the keeper After a foul on Streller in the 66th minute referee Cyril Zimmermann awarded a penalty for Basel which Benjamin Huggel converted on the top right hand corner Basel controlled the game leaving FCZ with only one further goal chance After a foul by Huggel with 5 minutes left to play Almen Abdi took the free kick from about 18 meters centrally in front of the goal but he shoots far over it Then free kick for Basel from a good central position Carlitos places the free kick on the crossbar Game over one goal was enough 1 0 for FCB 7 Young Boys The semi final between Young Boys and FCB took place on Thursday 16 April Both teams started enthusiastically in the with 31 120 spectators sold out Stade de Suisse After a few minutes Thomas Haberli had a possibility with his head but he was offside YB put on the pressure mainly on the right through Carlos Varela and Christian Schwegler However the decisive last pass was always imprecise so that no great chances arose Before the break two scenes occurred in front of both goals Scott Chipperfields shot was thwarted by Marco Wolfli with a good save 38 On the other side Haberli was held back briefly referee Bertolini decided on penalty But Basel s goalkeeper and captain Franco Costanzo saved the penalty kicked by Mario Raimondi 45 The course of the game hardly changed after the break YB had a lot of possession but the guests were also often in front of the goal In the 30 minute extra time YB looked fresher but no goals fell It came to a penalty shoot out Here YB goalie Marco Wolfli became the hero He saved Huggel David Abraham and Jurgen Gjasula s penalties Gilles Yapi Yapo Felix Bastians and Marco Schneuwly all scored for YB and they reached the Cup final 8 Conclusion Basel s aim for the Swiss Cup was to retain the title and this was not achieved but the qualification for the semi final was a good result Champions League edit IFK Goteborg Basel entered the Champions League in the Second Qualifying Round and were drawn against IFK Goteborg of Sweden The first leg was on 30 July 2008 at Ullevi After the first 90 minutes it was an advantage for FC Basel 1893 because the Swiss champions scored an away goal in holding IFK Goteborg to a 1 1 draw in Sweden Benjamin Huggel scored for Basel breaking the deadlock after 26 minutes as he struck with a back post header following Jurgen Gjasula s corner However the lead was only short as Jakob Johansson set up Thomas Olsson to restore parity just six minutes later IFK were then played forwards but could not find a second goal Likewise Basel had nothing to show for their late pressure as David Abraham Gjasula and Huggel failed to net the ball with their chances the end score remained 1 1 9 Return match The second leg took place on 6 August at St Jakob Park Goteborg started into the game fastest and having come close to scoring within a few seconds they soon had the goal that they needed to remain in the fixture as in the 19th minute Pontus Wernbloom finished off a fast counterattack This shook Basel to life and Benjamin Huggel the man who put them ahead last week in Gothenburg managed the same feat again as he headed in a Jurgen Gjasula corner The only player who was added to Basel s starting lineup compared to the first leg was Valentin Stocker and he nearly scored the home team s second but Goteborg s goalkeeper Kim Christensen was able to smother the effort Although after the interval Basel maintained the pressure Goteborg scored the second goal and this again came following a quickly played break It was finished off by Robin Soder after Basel goalkeeper and captain Franco Costanzo could only knock the first attempt to the side Now Basel required two goals to overturn Goteborg s away goals advantage They achieved the first with 19 minutes left to play as Scott Chipperfield stretched himself to put home an Eren Derdiyok cross The home supporters sensed the chance as Basel were awarded a penalty for a handball with just six minutes left to play Ivan Ergic made no mistakes with the spot kick and it was he who in the added injury time out played two Goteborg defenders to settle the match 4 2 10 Vitoria de Guimaraes Basel then faced Vitoria SC of the Portuguese Liga in the third qualifying round at Estadio D Afonso Henriques in Guimaraes Having already played five league games and the first two qualifiers Basel had quickly found their rhythm and attempted to force the pace from the beginning both Valentin Stocker and Ivan Ergic went close to goal in the opening minutes of the first half Stocker had had the first chance at goal after eight minutes With a neat pass coming from Basel s Portuguese midfielder Carlitos who set up the chance for his team mate but Stocker fired left footed just beyond the post Ergic also had a good chance but this also went wide Basel played neatly and waited for counterattack opportunities this although they nearly got caught out twice in quick succession First Marquinho volleyed just off target after 30 minutes and minutes later he sent a header towards the goal but this drew a comfortable save from goalkeeper Franco Constanzo Basel pushed forward Stocker had a good chance Carlitos also tried his luck with a good shot from long range and Ergic produced a header after a corner which was shortly before half time As the second half got underway Eren Derdiyok came close to scoring for Basel with a left foot shot Stocker also had another good chance Then at the other end a number of Guimaraes strikers were unable to finish off a right wing cross and eventually the ball was cleared The home team were unable to outwit the stubborn and hard Basel defence not even after coach Manuel Cajuda brought in two new strikers in an attempt to strengthen the attacking force in the second half The game ended goalless 11 Return match The second leg was played on 27 August at St Jakob Park Basel immediately took the initiative and pushed forward As an early fine passing move unlocked the Guimaraes defence Ivan Ergic s final pass found Valentin Stocker who put the hosts one up after 11 minutes However the Portuguese team were soon back on level terms Not even four minutes later they achieved a potentially decisive away goal as Fajardo put home from the penalty spot following Francois Marque s foul on Joao Alves Basel created good opportunities through Marcos Gelabert and Eren Derdiyok and even if they had more possession and even if they were the stronger attacking team for the rest of the half their efforts were all in vain because the hard working Guimaraes defence held tight After the restart Manuel Cajuda s team came out as the more adventurous side First Yves Desmarets was well placed and he sent a hard shot narrowly wide of goalkeeper Franco Costanzo s left hand post The Basel defence caused further concern just a few moments and let Joao Alves free and he directed a dangerous header on target Realising their danger Basel then woke up and increased the pressure in their game on Guimaraes Stocker s shot was close and Derdiyok s shot went wide Their forcing tempo then paid off as Stocker pushed a pass to his striker partner Derdiyok and he fired his shot low beyond Nilson Because they were a goal behind Guimaraes were forced to do the pressing but as they equalised for a second time through substitute Roberto Calmon Felix with just three minutes left he was ruled offside by referee Pieter Vink and his linesman FCB held on to their 2 1 lead and secured their qualification to the tournament s group stages 12 Group stage Basel s hopes for their international season dropped somewhat because they were drawn into a strong Group C alongside Barcelona Sporting CP and Shakhtar Donetsk Barca were one of the favorites to win the trophy and Basel had bad memories of the Sporting team who had knocked them out of the 2007 08 UEFA Cup knockout stage this year in February As third opponents Shakhtar had won the Ukrainian double league and Cup the previous season Nevethless coach Christian Gross stated that remaining in Europe over the winter break was their aim This meant at least third position in the group which would see then continue in the 2008 09 UEFA Cup Shakhtar Basel played their opening game of the group stage at St Jakob Park on 16 September against Shakhtar Being urged on by the loud vocal chants from the supporters massed behind Captain Franco Costanzo s goal Basel pressed forward promisingly from the start Striker Eren Derdiyok returning first time after suffering a thigh injury almost turned the early pressure positive but he hit an early header just wide Shakhtar s coach Mircea Lucescu had promised his team would go out to play for the victory After Basel s early enthusiasm had worn off the visitors became the more menacing and Jadson one of five Brazilians in the starting eleven proved a constant concern for the Basel defence On 16 minutes the playmaker rushed down the right and supplied a cross which Luiz Adriano narrowly failed to turn goalwards Although it was the quick passing moves which threatened to open up the home defence more than once it was to be that the set pieces that would ultimately prove their undoing Fernandinho sent one long range effort fly over the bar Basel central defender Francois Marque with a clumsy challenge on Luiz Adriano about thirty metres out allowed the deep lying playmaker Fernandinho another chance His kick was still rising upwards as it passed keeper Costanzo for the first goal Basel s game was only occasional as Shakhtar dominated the first half They were rewarded for the efforts with the second goal in the added time of the half Right back Reto Zanni committed a handball and Jadson struck a hard free kick which was missed by everybody as it arced in to the right hand corner of Costanzo s net Basel coach Christian Gross reacted to the team s problems at half time and took out Derdiyok and Valentin Stocker Their replacements Orhan Mustafi and Eduardo made an immediate impact After just four minutes in the second half Mustafi forced Shakhtar keeper Andriy Pyatov to his first save with an angled drive Then Carlitos s smart pass gave Eduardo his first chance but he shot wide of Pyatov s right hand post Because of their two goal lead Shakhtar controlled the game and were less adventurous than they had been before Yet the Ukrainian champions nearly hit a third after 66 minutes Basel left back Ronny Hodel was overwhelmed by the speed of the break and Luiz Adriano ran clear of him into the open space and passed to Brandao in the box Costanzo saved the Brazilian s first effort and then reacted superbly to fiercely struck follow up from Vyacheslav Shevchuk on to a post David Abraham scored a late consolation goal for the home team 13 Sporting CP Sporting Clube de Portugal were the opponents on Matchday 2 played in the Estadio Jose Alvalade on 1 October The home team started well played forwards and Derlei proved he was a dangerous striker But Basel were soon in the game Jurgen Gjasula made space for himself but his early shot but failed to be dangerous for Rui Patricio Not long afterwards Tonel was forced to make a desperate clearance so that Marco Streller did not have a clear run at goal The hosts were putting more pressure on but Basel had the first clear cut chance threw defender David Abraham The Argentinian centre back was given plenty of time and space to take on Streller s pass but his shot went wide Derlei had the next chance but failed to control the ball Sporting had two better chances before half time through Leandro Romagnoli and Fabio Rochemback After 49 minutes Derlei almost broke the deadlock but he headed Joao Moutinho s acrobatic overhead cross against the post But ten minutes after half time the Basel defenders beat themselves with a bizarre own goal Abraham attempted to clear under pressure struck the ball hard but it hit Reto Zanni and looped back behind goalkeeper Franco Costanzo into the net Two minutes later Romagnoli almost increased the lead but the keeper fisted his powerful shot into the out Basel reacted but Benjamin Huggel was denied the equaliser as Rui Patricio made a sprawling save The goalie was then forced by Gjasula s free kick to tip the ball over the top In the last minutes Sporting exploited the extra space that the forward moving visitors were leaving behind them First Derlei was unlucky with a header again being denied by the post He then had an effort ruled out for offside by Italian referee Nicola Rizzoli and his linesman but he found his efforts rewarded as he netted the 86th minute Despite defending well and causing a few scares at the other end of the park Basel were defeated 2 0 14 Barcelona In advance to game on matchday 3 at St Jakob Park against Barcelona on 22 October it was suggested by whom that Basel were the more ambitious side because head coach Christian Gross lined up both Marco Streller and Eren Derdiyok in the attack Gross had said he had trimmed his defence and would not like to see his side go one down in the opening stage On the other side Josep Guardiola put his stars Samuel Eto o Andres Iniesta and Thierry Henry on the bench These suggestions were soon disproved as Lionel Messi played a double pass with Dani Alves and ran on to the Brazilian s chipped return pass to tip the ball in from the edge of the six yard box The home side recovered from that crushing blow but suddenly found themselves two goals behind Xavi passed to Sergio Busquets on the right and the midfielder drove the ball between goalkeeper Franco Costanzo s legs The Basel keeper then denied Xavi s effort a few minutes later But Barca continued their pressing and scored as Bojan Krkic created himself space and hammered his shot into the lower left corner after 22 minutes The Basel defence blocked a further Krkic shot and keeper Costanzo reacted well as Alves followed up Basel could have been four down before the first half hour had been played Head coach Gross took out Eduardo Rubio after the break he brought Valentin Stocker but within 60 seconds of the restart Costanzo was beaten again as Krkic finished off a quick played counterattack with his hard shot Only two minutes later Alexander Hleb and Messi combined to supply Xavi who netted the fifth At the other end Streller eventually had a shot at Victor Valdes s goal as he outran Carles Puyol and hammered a right foot shot but it was swept away Basel created another few chances through Derdiyok Stocker and Streller but couldn t realise and lost 0 5 15 Barcelona The return game against Barcelona in the Camp Nou was on 4 November in front of 49 000 spectators Home team coach Josep Guardiola left Lionel Messi Xavi and Samuel Eto o on the bench and therefore much was expected from Andres Iniesta and luckily for Barca he was on form on the day ready to run and with a good eye He linked up well with Thierry Henry and created two good chances for the Frenchman the first of which was arched narrowly beyond keeper Franco Costanzo s left hand post Then Iniesta himself had the next chance and he produced a low drive but the keeper matched the chance Costanzo and central defender Francois Marque both played a good game Barca missed another opportunity to take the lead before half time as Sylvinho delivered a free kick which Henry met with a header in towards the top corner of the goal but Costanzo matched this chance too Again after the break the Argentinian keeper confirmed his credits as Henry passed the ball into space in front of Bojan Krkic who was able to run clear but Costanzo was able to block the chance with his feet Guardiola was unhappy with his team and so brought on Xavi and Messi and they rewarded him within two minutes Messi caught a loose ball and burst forward played a one two with Henry and slotted the ball home into the bottom corner of the net This was Messi s fourth Champions League goal in as many matches Xavi also made an impact he forced yet another save from Costanzo with a free kick Iniesta was forced out with an injury to his right thigh in the 67th minute Gerard Pique also played two good set pieces but instead the second goal of the match came at the other end Carlitos swang in a right wing cross directly to Eren Derdiyok who smashed a volley past Victor Valdes to the 1 1 end score 16 Shakhtar The return game against Shakhtar Donetsk in the stadium RSK Olimpiyskyi was on 26 November Due to the absence of centre back Dmytro Chyhrynskyi and right winger Ilsinho through injury plus suspended striker Brandao home coach Mircea Lucescu had to make changes in his team Luiz Adriano played as middle striker and he was aided by Willian Jadson and Fernandinho That latter pair combined well and they nearly opened the scoring during the first five minutes First Jadson swept a ball wide then Fernandinho s attempt was pushed over the bar by goalkeeper and captain Franco Costanzo Basel had trouble starting into the game finding it difficult to get a hold on the pitch which was soggy and heavy following the heavy rain earlier in the day Striker Eren Derdiyok didn t see much of the ball in the early minutes Nevertheless Costanzo had to remain concentrated and he dealt well following a fierce free kick by Darijo Srna Willian then took a shot that went wide After about half hour Basel seemed to have sorted their problems out and were into the game Then Shakhtar struck Tomas Hubschman sent in a cross from the left which Oleksiy Gai controlled the ball and played back to Jadson who rushed into the box to push the ball home Shakhtar goalkeeper Andriy Pyatov saved an Eduardo effort just before half time Both teams started fast into the second half Valentin Stocker had his shot blocked on the line and at the other end Fernandinho also had his effort cleared off the line Five minutes into the second half Willian doubled the score coming from the left hand touchline swerved around several defenders before arching the ball inside the far post despite Costanzo s desperate dive The visitors replied and pushed and worried the Shakhtar defence but suddenly were three down A quick played counterattack William sent Srna down the left and his cross was pushed home at the far post by Jadson The Brazilian completed his hat trick seven minutes later Willian crossed from the left Jadson finished off Ukrainian international Yevhen Seleznyov with a left footed shot from just inside the box in the 75th minute gave the game its final 50 score line 17 Sporting CP Matchday 6 in the St Jakob Park on 9 December against Sporting CP was Basel s last game in their journey through European competition for this season The home team had the greater share of possession in the opening Sporting striker Derlei had the first chance though with an early shot across goal at the end of a swift counterattack While Basel continued to play neatly but that without carrying out much threat to the Sporting goal the speed with which the visitors could turn defence into attack was menacing A measured ball found Yannick Djalo racing clear and though his cross was met by a powerful header from the again unmarked Derlei Franco Costanzo parried this Joao Moutinho then flashed a shot just over and Sporting finally made the breakthrough on 19 minutes Marat Izmailov s low cross from the right hand side was turned in from point blank range by the quickly onrushing Djalo The early goal and torrential rain that fell during the entire match failed to dampen the enthusiasm of the Basel fans who could have been celebrating only a third goal in the section for their side when Fabio Rochemback lost possession to present Benjamin Huggel with a shooting chance but the midfielder sent a fierce shot just wide of the goal Ivan Ergic did find the target soon after but his drive lacked sufficient power to trouble goalkeeper Tiago while Djalo may have scored a second had his stand foot not slipped after he had cleverly created space inside the box The half time introduction of Valentin Stocker gave Basel increased power down the left wing and seconds after the restart an early cross from him led to Marco Streller shooting wide of the goal Huggel again tested goalkeeper Tiago as the hosts sought for the equaliser Sporting were clearly content to let the waves of pressure break on their back four and play their counterattacks with pace Djalo tried a number of stepovers as he tried to tease center back Beg Ferati on the left but despite getting round the Basel defender his cross saw the diminutive Moutinho comfortably outmuscled by Basel s other center back Francois Marque Stocker s direct approach won a corner which he took himself but the high soaring Ergic headed over the goal However Djalo miscued his shot when Marco Caneira s cross found him with lots of space just inside the penalty box Fabien Frei eventually brought a save out of Tiago with a low drive 16 minutes from time while Stocker forced the goalkeeper into two stops in quick succession The final score 0 1 meant the end of Basel s journey through the European competition for this season 18 Club editManagement edit Position Staff Manager nbsp Christian Gross Assistant manager nbsp Fritz Schmiduntil 13 January 2009 19 Conditioning Coach nbsp Marco Walkerfrom 16 January 2009 20 Fitness Coach nbsp Thomas Gruter Fitness Coach nbsp Romain Crevoisier Youth Team Coach nbsp Patrick Rahmen Youth Team Co Coach nbsp Sandro Kamber Last updated 17 May 2008Source citation needed Kit edit Supplier NikeSponsor s Novartis nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp Home 21 nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp Away Source Official Site Other information edit Chairman nbsp Mrs Gisela Oeri Vice Chairman nbsp Mr Bernhard Heusler 22 Ground capacity and dimensions St Jakob Park 42 500 120x80 m Source Official SitePlayers editFirst team squad edit The following is the list of the Basel first team squad It also includes players that were in the squad the day the season started on 18 July 2008 but subsequently left the club after that date As of 30 June 2009 accounting for official transfers Note Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules Players may hold more than one non FIFA nationality No Pos Nation Player 1 GK nbsp ARG Franco Costanzo Captain 3 DF nbsp SUI Ronny Hodel 4 DF nbsp SUI Michel Morganella 6 MF nbsp ARG Marcos Gelabert 7 MF nbsp GER Jurgen Gjasula 8 MF nbsp SUI Benjamin Huggel Vice captain 9 FW nbsp SUI Marco Streller 10 MF nbsp SRB Marko Perovic 11 MF nbsp AUS Scott Chipperfield 14 MF nbsp SUI Valentin Stocker 15 FW nbsp ARG Federico Almerares 16 MF nbsp SUI Fabian Frei 17 FW nbsp CHI Eduardo Rubio 19 DF nbsp ARG David Abraham No Pos Nation Player 20 DF nbsp SWE Behrang Safari 21 DF nbsp FRA Francois Marque 22 MF nbsp SRB Ivan Ergic 23 FW nbsp BRA Eduardo 25 GK nbsp SUI Jayson Leutwiler 26 MF nbsp SUI Daniel Unal 27 GK nbsp SUI Yann Sommer 28 DF nbsp SUI Beg Ferati 29 FW nbsp SUI Orhan Mustafi 30 MF nbsp POR Carlitos 31 FW nbsp SUI Eren Derdiyok 32 DF nbsp SUI Reto Zanni Vice captain 33 DF nbsp TUR Serkan Sahin 35 GK nbsp SUI Oliver Stockli Multiple nationalities edit 1 nbsp nbsp Franco Costanzo 7 nbsp nbsp Jurgen Gjasula 11 nbsp nbsp Scott Chipperfield 13 nbsp nbsp Daniel Unal 15 nbsp nbsp Federico Almerares 17 nbsp nbsp Eduardo Rubio 20 nbsp nbsp Behrang Safari 22 nbsp nbsp Ivan Ergic 28 nbsp nbsp Beg Ferati 29 nbsp nbsp nbsp Orhan Mustafi 31 nbsp nbsp Eren Derdiyok 33 nbsp nbsp Serkan Sahin Summer transfers edit In edit 5 MF nbsp GER Jurgen Gjasula from FC St Gallen free transfer 23 6 MF nbsp ARG Marcos Gelabert from FC St Gallen 644 000 SFr 24 10 MF nbsp SRB Marko Perovic from Red Star Belgrade 1 288 000 SFr 25 13 MF nbsp SUI Daniel Unal from AS Roma 26 15 FW nbsp ARG Federico Almerares from River Plate 27 17 FW nbsp CHI Eduardo Rubio loan from Cruz Azul with buy out option 28 17 DF nbsp SUI Patrik Baumann loan return from FC Concordia Basel 19 DF nbsp ARG David Abraham from Gimnastic de Tarragona 26 20 DF nbsp SWE Behrang Safari from Malmo FF 644 000 SFr 24 25 FW nbsp MKD Orhan Mustafi from FC Zurich free transfer 29 26 MF nbsp SUI Pascal Schurpf from Basel U 21 30 33 MF nbsp SUI Samet Gunduz from Basel U 21 30 35 GK nbsp SUI Oliver Stockli free transfer 31 Out edit 5 DF nbsp SWE Daniel Majstorovic to AEK Athens 32 6 DF nbsp JPN Kōji Nakata to Kashima Antlers 32 7 MF nbsp SUI David Degen loan return to Borussia Monchengladbach 12 MF nbsp SEN Papa Malick Ba contract not re newed 15 MF nbsp LIE Franz Burgmeier Mutual Consent 33 18 GK nbsp LBR Louis Crayton to D C United 27 19 FW nbsp CZE Vratislav Lokvenc loan return to Red Bull Salzburg 32 29 MF nbsp SUI Simone Grippo to Chievo Out on loan edit 24 MF nbsp SUI Cabral on loan to Sevilla 34 33 MF nbsp SUI Samet Gunduz on loan to FC Wil 2 DF nbsp SUI Dominik Ritter on loan to Concordia Basel 2 DF nbsp SUI Patrik Baumann on loan to Concordia Basel GK nbsp SUI Yann Sommer on loan to FC Vaduz 35 Winter transfers edit In edit 27 GK nbsp SUI Yann Sommer from FC Vaduz loan return 36 33 DF nbsp TUR Serkan Sahin from Basel U 21 MF nbsp SUI Xherdan Shaqiri from Basel U 21 37 Out edit 4 DF nbsp SUI Michel Morganella to Palermo 38 Out on loan edit 27 MF nbsp SUI Pascal Schurpf on loan to Concordia Basel 39 33 MF nbsp SUI Samet Gunduz on loan to Concordia Basel 39 DF nbsp SUI Sabri Boumelaha on loan to Concordia Basel 40 Starting 11 edit No Pos Nat Name MS Notes 1 GK nbsp Costanzo 28 20 LB nbsp Safari 34 21 CB nbsp Marque 22 19 CB nbsp Abraham 33 32 RB nbsp Zanni 32 8 DM nbsp Huggel 33 14 LW nbsp Stocker 32 11 CM nbsp Chipperfield 24 22 CM nbsp Ergic 30 30 RW nbsp Carlitos 22 31 FW nbsp Derdiyok 25 Last updated 20 November 2008Source Squad stats and Start formations Only competitive matches Using the most used start formation Ordered by position on pitch from back right to front left nbsp Costanzo C Marque Abraham Safari Zanni Huggel Stocker Carlitos Chipperfield Ergic Derdiyok Overall edit Basel participated in the following major competitions the Swiss Super League the Swiss Cup and the UEFA Champions League Competition Started round Finalposition round First match Last match Swiss Super League 3rd 18 July 2008 29 May 2009 Swiss Cup Round 1 Semi final 20 September 2008 13 April 2009 UEFA Champions League Second qualifying round 2008 09 UEFA Champions League Group stage 30 July 2008 9 December 2008 Source CompetitionsResults and fixtures editFriendly matches edit Pre season friendlies edit Basel nbsp v nbsp Lugano 24 June 2008 Pre seasonBasel nbsp 3 1 nbsp LuganoSan Gian Celerina17 30 Ergic nbsp 19 1 0 Burgmeier nbsp 21 2 0 Carlitos nbsp 81 3 1 Summary nbsp 59 2 1 Rocca Attendance 720Referee nbsp Patrick Collet Riom GR Wil nbsp v nbsp Basel 28 June 2008 Pre seasonWil nbsp 1 2 nbsp BaselBergholz Wil17 30 Tsimba nbsp 82 1 Summary nbsp 33 0 1 Ergic nbsp 90 1 2 Boumelaha Attendance 900Referee nbsp Marco Speranda Hergiswil BSC Old Boys nbsp v nbsp Basel 2 July 2008 Pre seasonBSC Old Boys nbsp 1 3 nbsp BaselStadion Schutzenmatte Basel19 00 Boukaakiou nbsp 64 1 2 Summary nbsp 44 0 1 Carlitos nbsp 57 0 2 Ergic nbsp 75 1 3 Mustafi Attendance 2 218Referee nbsp Sascha Amhof Basel nbsp v nbsp Shakhtar Donetsk 5 July 2008 Pre seasonBasel nbsp 2 3 nbsp Shakhtar DonetskStadion Schutzenmatte Basel18 00 Stocker nbsp 32 1 2 Ergic nbsp 36 2 2 Summary nbsp 15 pen 0 1 Fernandinho nbsp 27 0 2 Hladkyy nbsp 53 2 3 Seleznyov Attendance 1 500Referee nbsp Pascal Erlachner Uhrencup edit The Uhrencup is a club football tournament held annually in Grenchen It is Europe s most traditional club football tournament Basel nbsp v nbsp Legia Warsaw 10 July 2008 UhrencupRound 1Basel nbsp 6 1 nbsp Legia WarsawStadion Bruhl Grenchen20 45 Gjasula nbsp 15 1 0 Marque nbsp 21 Carlitos nbsp 44 2 0 Carlitos nbsp 56 3 0 Schurpf nbsp 67 4 1 Mustafi nbsp 85 5 1 Mustafi nbsp 89 6 1 Summary nbsp 19 Borysiuk nbsp 66 pen 3 1 Iwanski Attendance 6 791Referee nbsp Nicole Petignat Basel nbsp v nbsp Borussia Dortmund 8 July 2008 UhrencupRound 2Basel nbsp 2 2 nbsp Borussia DortmundStadion Bruhl Grenchen19 30 Santana nbsp 19 o g 1 0 Gjasula nbsp 65 2 1 Summary nbsp 34 1 1 Kehl nbsp 85 2 2 Valdez Attendance 8 094Referee nbsp Claudio Circhetta Pre season First half of season friendlies edit FC Oberdorf nbsp v nbsp Basel 15 July 2008 Pre seasonFC Oberdorf nbsp 1 7 nbsp BaselStadion z Hof Oberdorf18 30 Wahl nbsp 87 pen 1 6 Summary nbsp 29 0 1 Derdiyok nbsp 36 0 2 Carlitos nbsp 45 0 3 Derdiyok nbsp 70 0 4 Stocker nbsp 78 0 5 Mustafi nbsp 86 0 6 Mustafi nbsp 91 1 7 Gjasula Attendance 2 300Referee nbsp Reto Lanfranchi Reinach SV Muttenz nbsp v nbsp Basel 9 September 2008 Mid seasonSV Muttenz nbsp 0 5 nbsp BaselSportplatz Margelacker Muttenz19 30 Summary nbsp 1 0 1 Abraham nbsp 26 0 2 Gjasula nbsp 51 0 3 Eduardo nbsp 81 0 4 Almerares nbsp 87 0 5 Almerares Attendance 1 220Referee nbsp Daniel Wermelinger Concordia Basel nbsp v nbsp Basel 14 October 2008 Mid seasonConcordia Basel nbsp 3 3 nbsp BaselStadion Rankhof Basel14 00 Bieli nbsp 59 1 2 Mathys nbsp 83 2 2 Schweizer nbsp 92 3 2 Summary nbsp 51 0 1 Mustafi nbsp 57 0 2 Mustafi nbsp 93 3 3 Almerares Attendance 400Referee nbsp Jan Fluri Ettingen Winter break Second half of season friendlies edit Concordia Basel nbsp v nbsp Basel 15 January 2009 Winter breakConcordia Basel nbsp 4 3 nbsp BaselStadion Schutzenmatte Basel12 00 Bieli nbsp 39 1 1 Tcheutchoua nbsp 59 2 3 Bieli nbsp 62 pen 3 3 Mathys nbsp 76 4 3 Summary nbsp 31 0 1 Gelabert nbsp 49 1 2 Mustafi nbsp 50 1 3 Chipperfield Attendance 200Referee nbsp Alain Bieri Solothurn Basel nbsp v nbsp Solothurn 17 January 2009 Winter breakBasel nbsp 3 2 nbsp SolothurnStadion Schutzenmatte Basel14 30 Ferati nbsp 50 1 2 Derdiyok nbsp 54 2 2 Almerares nbsp 68 3 2 Summary nbsp 31 0 1 da Costa nbsp 49 0 2 Kalina Attendance 500Referee nbsp Reto Walker Basel nbsp v nbsp Tianjin Teda 22 January 2009 Training campBasel nbsp 4 0 nbsp Tianjin TedaSportplatz La Manga La Manga16 00 F Frei nbsp 18 1 0 F Frei nbsp 53 2 0 Derdiyok nbsp 62 3 0 Stocker nbsp 88 4 0 nbsp 86 Gelabert Summary Attendance 50Referee nbsp Francisco Gomez Liarte Murcia Basel nbsp v nbsp Wisla Krakow 25 January 2009 Training campBasel nbsp 1 1 nbsp Wisla KrakowMunicipal Manolo Macia Santa Pola16 00 Derdiyok nbsp 19 1 0 Summary nbsp 88 1 1 Cleber Attendance 150Referee nbsp Francisco Gomez Liarte Basel nbsp v nbsp Dynamo Moscow 28 January 2009 Training campBasel nbsp 3 1 nbsp Dynamo MoscowSportplatz La Manga La Manga14 30 Stocker nbsp 4 1 0 Streller nbsp 17 2 0 Streller nbsp 50 3 0 Summary nbsp 64 3 1 Kerzhakov Attendance 100Referee nbsp Luis Davales Sanchez Murcia Neuchatel Xamax nbsp v nbsp Basel 31 January 2009 Winter breakNeuchatel Xamax nbsp 2 0 nbsp BaselStade de la Maladiere Neuchatel15 00 Ovarec nbsp 35 1 0 Kroupi nbsp 36 Nicoise nbsp 83 2 0 Summary nbsp 36 Abraham Attendance 800Referee nbsp Jerome Laperriere Bagnes Basel nbsp v nbsp Locarno 1 February 2009 Winter breakBasel nbsp 4 1 nbsp LocarnoStadion Schutzenmatte Basel13 00 Abraham nbsp 6 Gjasula nbsp 22 1 1 Carlitos nbsp 36 2 1 Huggel nbsp 53 3 1 Ergic nbsp 66 4 1 Summary nbsp 7 0 1 Kuhl nbsp 64 Toprak Attendance 400Referee nbsp Claudio Circhetta Muttenz Basel nbsp v nbsp Wohlen 10 February 2009 Mid seasonBasel nbsp 3 3 nbsp WohlenStadion Rankhof Basel16 00 Streller nbsp 41 1 2 Ergic nbsp 45 2 3 Almerares nbsp 47 3 3 Summary nbsp 22 0 1 Barthlome nbsp 30 0 2 Keller nbsp 44 1 3 Diethelm Attendance 400Referee nbsp Adrien Jaccottet Basel Basel nbsp v nbsp Sochaux 17 February 2009 Mid seasonBasel nbsp 3 1 nbsp SochauxYouth Campus Basel Munchenstein15 30 Chipperfield nbsp 4 1 0 Almerares nbsp 21 2 0 Almerares nbsp 31 3 0 Summary nbsp 45 3 1 Tulasne Attendance 100Referee nbsp Alain Bieri Bern Basel nbsp v nbsp Winterthur 24 February 2009 Mid seasonBasel nbsp 2 0 nbsp WinterthurYouth Campus Basel Munchenstein15 00 Almerares nbsp 50 1 0 Eduardo nbsp 71 2 0 Summary Attendance 300Referee nbsp Adrien Jaccottet Basel Basel nbsp v nbsp Basel U 21 10 March 2009 Mid seasonBasel nbsp 2 2 nbsp Basel U 21Youth Campus Basel Munchenstein15 30 Mustafi nbsp 48 1 1 Almerares nbsp 51 2 1 Summary nbsp 20 0 1 Weisskopf nbsp 85 2 2 Osmani Referee nbsp Adrien Jaccottet Basel nbsp v nbsp La Chaux de Fonds 31 March 2009 Mid seasonBasel nbsp 4 1 nbsp La Chaux de FondsYouth Campus Basel Munchenstein16 00 Streller nbsp 13 1 0 Carlitos nbsp 34 2 0 Zoua nbsp 68 3 0 Zoua nbsp 85 4 0 Summary Attendance 200Referee nbsp Adrien Jaccottet Basel Swiss Super League edit Main article 2008 09 Swiss Super League First half of season edit Young Boys v Basel 18 July 2008 Round 1Young Boys1 2BaselWankdorf Bern20 15 Eudis nbsp 19 1 0 Varela nbsp 66 Ghezal nbsp 87 Summary nbsp 10 F Frei nbsp 69 1 1 Perovic nbsp 87 1 2 Huggel Attendance 23 250Referee nbsp Massimo Busacca Basel v Grasshopper 23 July 2008 Round 2Basel1 0GrasshopperSt Jakob Park Basel19 45 Abraham nbsp 42 Perovic nbsp 46 1 0 Zanni nbsp 56 Gjasula nbsp 92 Summary nbsp 44 Bobadilla nbsp 74 Salatic Attendance 23 915Referee nbsp Cyril Zimmermann Munsingen Basel v Bellinzona 26 July 2008 Round 3Basel2 0BellinzonaSt Jakob Park Basel19 45 Chipperfield nbsp 8 1 0 Ergic nbsp 75 2 0 Stocker nbsp 81 Summary nbsp 53 La Rocca nbsp 59 Wahab nbsp 74 Bernardet Attendance 19 829Referee nbsp Daniel Wermelinger Sion v Basel 2 August 2008 Round 4Sion2 0BaselStade Tourbillon Sion17 45 Beto nbsp 37 1 0 Adeshina nbsp 45 2 0 Alioui nbsp 50 Crettenand nbsp 64 Summary nbsp 16 Zanni nbsp 26 Rubio nbsp 45 Perovic nbsp 76 Marque Attendance 14 800Referee nbsp Stefan Messner Basel v Vaduz 9 August 2008 Round 5Basel4 0VaduzSt Jakob Park Basel19 45 Zanni nbsp 16 1 0 Abraham nbsp 38 Mustafi nbsp 56 2 0 Mustafi nbsp 63 3 0 Rubio nbsp 78 4 0 Summary nbsp 53 Cerrone Attendance 19 962Referee nbsp Alain Bieri Zurich v Basel 17 August 2008 Round 6Zurich1 4BaselLetzigrund Zurich16 00 Abdi nbsp 41 1 2 Abdi nbsp 43 Summary nbsp 13 0 1 Stocker nbsp 21 0 2 Chipperfield nbsp 54 1 3 Carlitos nbsp 71 Gelabert nbsp 84 Morganella nbsp 90 1 1 4 Carlitos Attendance 14 200Referee nbsp Sascha Kever Basel v Xamax 23 August 2008 Round 7Basel4 3XamaxSt Jakob Park Basel17 45 Huggel nbsp 27 1 0 Derdiyok nbsp 27 2 0 Derdiyok nbsp 33 3 0 Carlitos nbsp 43 4 2 Summary nbsp 8 Rossi nbsp 21 Besle nbsp 24 Sulaimani nbsp 35 3 1 Coly nbsp 41 3 2 Coly nbsp 50 4 3 Rossi nbsp 78 Rak nbsp 87 Furios Attendance 20 321Referee nbsp Rene Rogalla Aarau v Basel 30 August 2008 Round 8Aarau0 2BaselStadion Brugglifeld Aarau17 45 Summary nbsp 29 Rubio nbsp 45 Chipperfield span cla, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, 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