- FC Basel and FC Zürich are playing 0-0 in the 12th round of the Super League in the classic game.
- FCZ striker Santini sees a red card in the 13th minute, and coach Henriksen is sent off (45+5).
- The Baslers dominate the game at home in St. Jakob-Park, but in the final phase they have to be happy not to concede the 0:1.
- In the 2nd game on Thursday, Servette wins 3:2 at GC.
FC Zurich almost kidnapped 3 more points from St. Jakob-Park. Fabian Rohner grabbed the ball in the 89th minute and sprinted 70 meters across the field, but Marwin Hitz made a save in the FCZ goal. The subsequent corner kick was no less dangerous: Nikola Katic headed over it from a short distance. It remained a goalless draw until the end.
It was a game that Basel clearly dominated in terms of possession after being sent off against FCZ in the 13th minute. However, it was not the chances of the Basel team that caused an uproar, but rather other scenes.
Starting phase: blood, battery and video study
Less than 5 of the first 13 minutes of the classic were actually played. 14 seconds after the kick-off, Nikola Katic went down because Karol Mets hit him in the head with full force. He sat there covered in blood, his laceration had to be stapled and his jersey changed. That lasted five and a half minutes.
Another two and a half minutes went to Ivan Santini’s dismissal and the associated video consultation from referee Lukas Fähndrich. The striker had elbowed Wouter Burger in the face for no apparent reason (video above).
Injury time: No foul, no penalty and Henriksen sees red
It got turbulent again in the stoppage time of the first half, which incidentally lasted 8 minutes. Basel’s Arnau Comas probably brought down Bledian Krasniqi, who had rushed to the side, against the rules – but Fähndrich’s whistle remained silent.
In return, Dan Ndoye was cut down on the baseline, but Cheick Condé also played the ball slightly, which in turn did not lead to a foul whistle from the referee. Coach Bo Henriksen couldn’t believe it and complained outside the technical zone, which is why he was red and had to sit in the stands from then on.
In between – and also after the break – there were hardly any scenes worth mentioning. With one man less, Zurich concentrated completely on the defensive, Basel could not get through despite 620 passes (FCB’s previous season high in the league: 548) and hardly had any chances to score. The highly talented offensive is currently the problem with the «Bebbi»: In the last 5 games, no goal could be scored 4 times.
This is how it goes
After the second 0-0 in a row for FCB and FCZ, Basel wins a place in the league. FCZ can expect the Zurich derby against GC in the league on Sunday. Basel will then play Winterthur at home before Thursday’s third home game in a row in the Conference League against Zalgiris Vilnius.