Skip to main content

Back to reality for Basel after rude awakening

Having visited Old Trafford, the Allianz Arena and Benfica's Stadium of Light during their European campaign, Basel's 7-0 defeat has left them with the prospect of trips to Thun, Sion and the vast empty expanses of Zurich's Letzigrund.

Last Saturday's 2-0 win over Grasshoppers in front of 7,000 fans in Zurich, where the running track around the pitch makes the stadium feel even emptier, is an example of what they face.

Too strong for their own country, Tuesday's defeat, their heaviest in Europe, showed they are still out of their depth at the very top of international level.

Basel's Champions League campaign, where they qualified from the group stage with two memorable performances against Manchester United and then beat Bayern Munich at home, had been a rare bright spot for Swiss football.

"We have achieved a lot, the team has achieved lot and we shouldn't forget this, I don't want our campaign to be reduced to this result," the German said before describing his suffering during Tuesday's match.

"I stood looking constantly at the clock, wondering when it would all end." he said.

V