FCB misses the final and Basel celebrates its tragic losers

FC Basel was not spared a dramatic end to the consistently nerve-wracking Conference League. In the 129th minute, after a long break due to a medical emergency in the away fans’ sector, the Czech Antonin Barak scored in extra time the 3-1 that allowed Fiorentina to reach the final against West Ham on June 7 in Prague, where FCB would have loved to have been. As the first Swiss team ever in the history of the European Cup.

The FCB fans had done the stuff in St. Jakob-Park, which was sold out with 36,000 spectators for the first time since 2018, with a powerful choreography, a griffin, the slogan “Inspired by the dream” and the polyphonic motto “Alli zamme, always on”.

Heiko Vogel sent the same eleven onto the field that had made this dream within reach with the 2-1 away win in Florence last week. Vincenco Italiano switched Fiorentina to four positions at once, but did not change his basic 4-3-3 formation.

The game evolved into the same tactical arm wrestling as in Tuscany. FCB, with its five-man defense and a compact block of Andy Diouf, Taulant Xhaka and Wouter Burger in the center, gave the opponent possession of the ball – 64 percent until the break whistle – mostly in the areas “that don’t interest us”, as Vogel did after the had expressed first leg.

And the Red Blues knew how to set needles right from the start, especially over Dan Ndoye, who, as always on Thursday evenings, seemed excited and who time and again escaped with his tremendous speed on the right wing.

Only: Countable did not come out of it. Nevertheless, from the Basel point of view, the script was right after half an hour.

The Fiorentina increases the pressure, the leadership does not surprise

That started to change when the balls in the top could no longer be held. Fiorentina built up pressure step by step. A header from Nicolas Gonzalez whizzed just wide of the post (31′), then Marwin Hitz reacted brilliantly against Giacomo Bonaventura.

Fiorentina’s lead in the 35th minute was therefore no longer a surprise. As in the first leg, it came from a standing ball, this time from the fourth corner, which Captain Cristiano Biraghi centered on Gonzalez. Only Ndoye, who let his opponent go, can explain how freely the Italian headed the ball.

Amdouni’s equalizer comes out of nowhere

The people of Basel were not deterred by this. It continued in the same style after a change of sides, which is why the equalizer in the 55th minute deserves the label “out of nowhere”. Andy Pelmard launched a long free kick from Zeki Amdouni just behind the halfway line. The Basel wonder striker nibbled on the Brazilian defender Igor, who not only seemed overwhelmed in this scene, and deliberately hit the far corner with his right. It was Amdounis seventh goal in the Conference League, drawing level with former Basel player Arthur Cabral, who had previously been ineffective. And in the Joggeli nobody stayed on their seats anymore.

This Amdouni was the unlucky raven in the 72nd minute, who involuntarily hung up for Gonzalez to make it 1:2. A cross from Dodo distracted Kasim Adams to his puzzled teammate.

The knockout in the 129th minute

The Basel team couldn’t find their way out of Fiorentina’s cultivated embrace. The extension was a tough struggle. Substitute Luka Jovic had the winning goal on his feet twice, and Hitz reacted miraculously again on the first ball in the 94th minute. Once again, with the last few minutes running, FCB once again found their way into the opponent’s penalty area. But even the loud screams from the crowd didn’t carry the ball into the goal.

The 129th minute and thus the last few seconds ran when Fiorentina found their happy end and the goal of substitute Barak – Andy Pelmard, who had been outstanding up to that point, didn’t look good – meant the bitter end for the red-blue team. However, the team was applauded by the fans for the struggle, resilience and passion they demonstrated throughout this campaign and this last walk.

Three more chances to get your head out of the noose

A journey that has taken FCB over 58 games this season so far, 20 of them in the Conference League, is coming to an end. He gave his fans international highlights on the running meter and made them despair the next moment in the domestic championship. There he still has three chances to pull his head out of the noose and achieve a place that entitles him to show himself on the European stage next season.