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MOTD- Chelsea 2-1 FC Basel

By on September 18, 2013

20130918-214607.jpgFC Basel replicated their stunning 2011/12 Champions League performance against Manchester United as they earn a hard-fought 2-1 victory at Stamford Bridge. Murat Yakin’s side played a perfect defensive minded match verses the overly attacking-minded Chelsea, which failed to resemble a usual Jose Mourinho side at all. The Swiss side caught the the Blues on rapid counter-attacks, and although Chelsea had the upper hand in the opening minutes, Mourinho’s staked midfield and lone forward Samuel Eto’o failed to create many chances.

Chelsea could have been ahead after fifteenth minutes when Eto’o headed the ball out of Basel goalkeeper Yann Sommer’s hands into the back of the net, only for the Italian referee Daniele Orsato to disallow the goal for a foul by Eto’o on Sommer. Frank Lampard then fired a deflected shot wide from twenty-yards and Eden Hazard blasted a wild shot over the crossbar in the twenty-sixth minute, but Chelsea couldn’t create any real chances. But Basel looked extremely dangerous on the counter, and Mohamed Salah smashed a twenty-yard curled just wide of the top corner, but Chelsea remained dominant and finally found an opening goal just before the break. David Luiz played it to Lampard on the edge of the D, and Lampard sipped it through to Oscar, who turned towards goal before firing a low shot into the bottom corner from fifteen yards out on the right of the Basel box.

Although Basel quickened the tempo of the match as it rolled on to the second half Chelsea nearly doubled their lead in the fifty-sixth minute as Oscar twisted around outside Basel penalty area before smashing a wicked shot onto the top crossbar, leaving Mourinho in disbelief. Branislav Ivanovic then headed a Lampard corner straight at Sommer as Chelsea continued to pressure Basel, but Yakin’s side grabbed an equalizer on the counter in the seventy-first minute. Neat passing from Basel resulted in the ball being fed out felt and crossed in to Salah on the right, with the Egyptian smashing a low shot from fifteen yards out into the far corner of the net.

It took Basel only ten more minutes to pull ahead to Mourinho’s utter astonishment, with a quick Basel break seeing the Swiss champions earn a corner. Behrang Safari swung the corner in to the near post, and Marco Streller rose up above Gary Cahill to hit a powerful header into the back of the net. Basel then maintained possession, while Chelsea failed to score an equalize before the referee blew for full time.
Man of the Match: Mohamed Salah

About Alex Morgan

Alex Morgan, founder of Football Every Day, lives and breaths football from the West Coast of the United States in California. Aside from founding Football Every Day in January of 2013, Alex has also launched his own journalism career and hopes to help others do the same with FBED. He covers the San Jose Earthquakes as a beat reporter for QuakesTalk.com and his work has also been featured in the BBC's Match of the Day Magazine.