FC Basel lost the advantage to Slovan Bratislava

If the Swiss team is still playing in the European Cup in March, it is usually FC Basel. Bayern have played the Round of 16 twelve times since 1999, and this season the Baslers have scored more points by UEFA (9) than YP, Zurich and Lugano combined (7.5).

“I am honored that we are the only Swiss team to stay in the winter and we also made progress against Trabzonspor. It shows we have quality,” David Degen said ahead of the first-leg match against Slovan Bratislava on Thursday night. For the first time this year, the FCB president will make a public appearance – for three minutes on Pay TV.

He could only elicit two sentences on the matter of coaching: “We’re taking our time, but it wasn’t a problem for Heiko Vogel to remain coach. Breaking the flow now might not make sense.” Degen expects his team to beat Bratislava, who put Bayern 2-0 and 3-3 in the group stage and managed to skip the second round thanks to the better head-to-head comparison.

The start is rewarded with red and blue

The meeting of the Slovak champions with last season’s runner-up in the Premier League began without FCB captain Fabian Frey, who suffered a back injury. Less than a minute played when Slovan’s Malik Aboubakari appeared to free Marwin Hitz, but he was surprised that he could not put the ball into the goal.

But then FCB started setting off fireworks. Anton Kadi, Zaki Amdouni and Dan Ndoye all get shots per minute and six minutes later it is Basel’s man-of-the-hour Amdouni who makes it 1-0 after Ndoye’s shot goes wide. Geneva’s ninth goal rested at the weekend in a 1-0 win at Lucerne in 2023.

But progress only lasts ten minutes. Slovan equalized after a powerful blow from the captain and former Manchester City professional, Vladimir Weiss, which Vogel warned about before the match. After four and a half minutes, the video assistant referee (VAR) controlled due to the possibility of a millimeter offside, Jurij Medvedev 1: 1 significant. “We know Slovan is a rip off squad,” Michael Lang said before the game. The equalizer confirms this knowledge and takes the momentum from the FCB out of the starting phase.

After a long period of stagnation, Bayern made it 2-1 from nowhere in the 40th minute. Kadi finds Andy Zekiri with a sharp pass, which shows cutting characteristics. Basel score their 6th International Mr. Europa Cup this season and at a key moment just before the break. Because Hitz collides twice in the loop, the tight lead remains.

Once again Bratislava is icy cold

After changing sides, Slovan tries to play a bit more up front. But there are no opening chances here or there because FCB – again with a three-man or five-man streak – hardly makes any space and plays their attacks very inaccurately.

It takes 70 minutes before Bratislava gets its first chance of the second half. Weiss puts his feet in the game again and this time it’s Abou Bakary, who extends his cross, which Hugo Novoa didn’t stop, with great freedom, heading into the far corner to make it 2:2.

Only 13,202 spectators – in the group match there were 1,000 – and then see how FCB plays a little more purposefully forward. But there were no more goals, because Amdoni only hit the post with his head in the 90th.

Because of 2: 2, Degen did not have what he asked for before the match. But the sports director and his interim coach said on Wednesday: “The match will be decided in the second leg.” And now, in a week (kick-off at 6:45pm), Basel can expect to sell out their Národný futbalový štadión with 22,500 spectators. Then, FCB’s fifth quarter-final should be clear there.

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