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MOTD- FC Basel 1-0 Chelsea

By on November 26, 2013
Jose Mourinho was left frowning after his side's poor performance in Switzerland

Jose Mourinho was left frowning after his side’s poor performance in Switzerland

The team that knocked Manchester United out of the Champions League in 2011 was up to it again, this time overcoming Chelsea to give FC Basel serious hope of qualifying for the last 16. Although Chelsea still progressed out of Uefa Champions League Group E, Jose Mourinho was left dazed as Basel completed the double over the former English champions after a late Mohamed Salah winner.  The Chelsea manager took the blame for the loss and a chance to top the group despite the fact that he fielded the same side that crushed West Ham United 3-0 at the weekend, bar the absence of Eden Hazard from the starting eleven.

However somebody had to take the blame after a simply rubbish performance by the visitors in Switzerland, in which Chelsea failed to muster a shot on target for the first time since 2001.  This left Basel manager Murat Yakin simply delighted at his side’s excellent showing that set up for a critical final group match at Schalke 04.

The Swiss champions dominated from the get-go and nearly took the lead just

thirteen minutes in as Alexander Frei’s low effort from the edge of the box took a nick off the boot of Branislav Ivanovic on its way towards the bottom post, making for an awkward save for Petr Cech to push it wide.  But the danger wasn’t clear, with John Obi Mikel having to clear Ivan Ivanov’s toe-poke off the line at the far post from the resulting corner.  It was all Basel, who were denied a penalty after the ball popped off Frank Lampard’s hand inside the Chelsea box in the sixteenth minute.  Just seven minutes later Cech was was forced into a stunning save to palm Salah’s deflected volley from twelve yards over the bar, with Mourinho’s side barely managing to keep it level.

Cesar Azpilicueta fantastically recovered to stop Salah as the winger broke in on goal, and somehow it remained 0-0 at the half.  Yet Basel continued to push forward, with Valentin Stocker heading Fabian Schar’s free-kick from the right into the arms of Cech from fifteen yards in the sixty-fifth minute.  Geoffry Die’s low daisycutter then whizzed just wide of the post, but the home side finally took the lead in the eighty-seventh minute when Schar’s long-ball found the run of Salah down the left.  The Egyptian scampered down the wing before curling it past Cech into the top right corner to give Basel the win.  Although Chelsea had four minutes of stoppage time to find an equalizer, it wasn’t enough time, leaving Basel with the three points an a good chance of qualifying for the knockout stages.
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.