The 2006–07 season is
Fussball Club Basel 1893's 114th in existence and the club's 13th consecutive season in the top flight of Swiss football. FCB played their home matches in the
St. Jakob-Park
St. Jakob-Park () is a Swiss sports stadium in Basel. It is the largest football venue in Switzerland and home to FC Basel. "Joggeli", as the venue is nicknamed by the locals, was originally built with a capacity of 33,433 seats. The capacity w ...
, in the Basel quarter St. Alban in the south-east of the city. After four season as Basel's chairman Werner Edelmann stood down and Mrs
Gisela Oeri
Gisela "Gigi" Oeri (born 1955) is a Swiss-German football chairwoman and philanthropist born 8 November 1955 in Schopfheim, Baden-Württemberg, Germany. She was the chairwoman of FC Basel from 2006 until 2012. At the club's Extraordinary General A ...
was voted as the club's very first chairwoman at the
AGM
AGM or agm may refer to:
Military
* Air-to-ground missile, a missile designed to be launched from military aircraft
* Artillery Gun Module, an air-portable self-propelled howitzer
* Missile Range Instrumentation Ship (US Navy hull classification ...
.
Overview
Christian Gross
Christian Jürgen Gross (born 14 August 1954) is a Swiss football manager and former player who most recently coached Schalke 04. He played as a sweeper and central midfielder.
Gross was manager of Basel from 1 July 1999 to 27 May 2009, winning ...
was head coach for the eighth successive season. Ahead of the new season Basel made a number of transfers. The most notable was the replacement of
Swiss international goalkeeper
Pascal Zuberbühler
Pascal Zuberbühler (born 8 January 1971) is a Swiss former professional footballer who played as a goalkeeper.
He played in the Swiss Super League for Grasshopper, Basel and Neuchâtel Xamax. He also had a season on loan to Bayer Leverkusen of ...
, who transferred to
West Bromwich Albion
West Bromwich Albion Football Club () is an English professional football club based in West Bromwich, West Midlands, England. They compete in the EFL Championship, the second tier of English football. The club was formed in 1878 and has pla ...
, with the
Argentinian
Argentines (mistakenly translated Argentineans in the past; in Spanish (masculine) or ( feminine)) are people identified with the country of Argentina. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Argentines, ...
international
Franco Costanzo
Franco Costanzo Geymonat (born 5 September 1980) is a former Argentine football goalkeeper who last played for Chilean club Universidad Católica of the Primera División.
He has earned the reputation of being an eccentric goalkeeper by ofte ...
who came from
Deportivo Alavés
Deportivo Alavés, S.A.D. (; ''Sporting Alavés''), usually abbreviated to Alavés, is a List of football clubs in Spain, Spanish football club based in Vitoria-Gasteiz, Álava, in the Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of the ...
.
Delron Buckley
Delron Sebastian Buckley (born 7 December 1977) is a South African former professional footballer. His preferred position was the left wing although he could also play as a striker. In September 2021, he was appointed Head Coach of the Universi ...
was signed on loan from
Borussia Dortmund
Ballspielverein Borussia 09 e. V. Dortmund, commonly known as Borussia Dortmund (), BVB (), or simply Dortmund (), is a German professional sports club based in Dortmund, North Rhine-Westphalia. It is best known for its men's professional footb ...
.
Cristiano dos Santos Rodrigues
Cristiano dos Santos Rodrigues (born 3 June 1981), commonly known as Cristiano, is a retired Brazilian footballer.
Biography Early career
Cristiano began his club career with Dutch club NAC Breda. He signed his first professional contract with ...
was signed in from
Roda JC
Sportvereniging Roda Juliana Combinatie Kerkrade (; Ripuarian: ), also known as Roda JC Kerkrade () or commonly Roda JC or Roda, is a Dutch professional football club based in Kerkrade, Netherlands. Roda JC Kerkrade plays in the Eerste Divisie. ...
and
Franz Burgmeier
Franz Burgmeier (born 7 April 1982) is a Liechtenstein former professional footballer, who played as a midfielder. Born in Triesen, Burgmeier was a burgeoning footballer and keen skier, until he gave up the latter sport at 16 following a seriou ...
was signed in from
FC Aarau
FC Aarau is a Swiss football club based in Aarau. They play in the Swiss Challenge League, the second tier of Swiss football after being relegated from Swiss Super League.
History
FC Aarau was formed on 26 May 1902 by workers from a local ...
.
Other players who transferred out were
Matias Emilio Delgado Matias is a form of the given name Matthew. In German-speaking Europe it is most often written as Matthias. It appears in this form in Norway, Sweden, Denmark and Finland. Alternate spellings are: Mathias, Mattias, Mattis, Mats and Matti. Matias ...
who went to
Beşiktaş Istanbul
Beşiktaş () is a district and municipality of Istanbul, Turkey, located on the European shore of the Bosphorus strait. It is bordered on the north by Sarıyer and Şişli, on the west by Kağıthane and Şişli, on the south by Beyoğlu, and ...
.
Djamel Mesbah
Djamel Eddine Mesbah ( ar, جمال الدين مصباح; born 9 October 1984) is an Algerian former professional footballer who last played as a left back for Étoile Carouge.
An Algerian international, Mesbah was a member of the Algeria na ...
and
Samuele Preisig both moved onto
FC Aarau
FC Aarau is a Swiss football club based in Aarau. They play in the Swiss Challenge League, the second tier of Swiss football after being relegated from Swiss Super League.
History
FC Aarau was formed on 26 May 1902 by workers from a local ...
and both on a free transfer.
Zdravko Kuzmanović
Zdravko Kuzmanović ( sr-Cyrl, Здравко Кузмановић, ; born 22 September 1987) is a Serbian footballer who plays as a defensive or central midfielder. He last played for FC Basel. He represented Serbia in the 2010 FIFA World Cup.
...
left the club during the winter break for
Fiorentina
ACF Fiorentina, commonly referred to as Fiorentina (), is an Italian professional football club based in Florence, Tuscany, Italy. The original team was founded by a merger in August 1926, while the actual club was refounded in August 2002 fo ...
.
Mikhail Kavelashvili
Mikheil Kavelashvili ( ka, მიხეილ ყაველაშვილი; born 22 July 1971) is a Georgian politician and former professional footballer. He is the co-founder of People's Power party.
As a player he was a striker who nota ...
also left the club in the winter break and retired from his active football career.
FCB started the season with various warm-up matches. These included teams from the
Swiss lower league as well as teams from France, Croatia and the Ukraine. The FC Basel had set three aims for the 2006–07 season, these were to win back the
league
League or The League may refer to:
Arts and entertainment
* ''Leagues'' (band), an American rock band
* ''The League'', an American sitcom broadcast on FX and FXX about fantasy football
Sports
* Sports league
* Rugby league, full contact footba ...
and
cup
A cup is an open-top used to hold hot or cold liquids for pouring or drinking; while mainly used for drinking, it also can be used to store solids for pouring (e.g., sugar, flour, grains, salt). Cups may be made of glass, metal, china, clay, ...
titles and thirdly to stay in the
UEFA Cup
A cup is an open-top used to hold hot or cold liquids for pouring or drinking; while mainly used for drinking, it also can be used to store Solid, solids for pouring (e.g., sugar, flour, grains, salt). Cups may be made of glass, metal, porcela ...
over the winter break.
Franco Costanzo was voted to player of season
[]]
The Campaign
Domestic League
Following the last minute loss of the
2005–06 Swiss Super League, 2005–06 Super League Championship as a result of the 1–2 home defeat against
FC Zürich
Fussballclub Zürich, commonly abbreviated to FC Zürich or simply FCZ, is a Swiss football club based in Zürich. The club was founded in 1896 and has won the Swiss Super League 13 times and the Swiss Cup 10 times. The most recent titles a ...
on 13 May 2006 and the subsequent riots, the so-called
Basel Hooligan Incident, the club had to carry consequences.
As well as the big fine, the first two home games of the
2006–07 Super League season were held completely without fans, as so called "ghost matches". The following three matches were held with just a part of the stadium capacity, without the fans from the "Muttenzer Kurve" (the eastern fan block).
There were ten teams competing in the top tier
2006–07 Swiss Super League
The 2006–07 Swiss Super League was the 110th season of top-tier football in Switzerland. The competition is officially named ''AXPO Super League'' due to sponsoring purposes. It began on 19 July 2006 and has ended on 24 May 2007.
Teams
Leag ...
. The teams played a double round-robin in the first half of the season and then another double round-robin in the second half. There were three points for a victory and one each for a draw. The champions would enter the
third qualifying round
Third or 3rd may refer to:
Numbers
* 3rd, the ordinal form of the cardinal number 3
* , a fraction of one third
* 1⁄60 of a ''second'', or 1⁄3600 of a ''minute''
Places
* 3rd Street (disambiguation)
* Third Avenue (disambiguation)
* Hig ...
of the
2007–08 UEFA Champions League
The 2007–08 UEFA Champions League was the 16th season of UEFA's premier European club football tournament, the UEFA Champions League, since it was rebranded in 1992, and the 53rd tournament overall.
The final was played on 21 May 2008 at the L ...
. The championship runners-up would enter the
UEFA Cup second qualifying round. The third placed team would enter the
UEFA Cup first qualifying round. The bottom placed team would be relegated, the second last team would play a play-off against relegation.
Following a very poor start to the season, five defeats in the first ten rounds, Basel were ten championship points behind the table leaders. They started a catch up race after the winter break and finished the league campaign as runners-up, just one point behind champions
FC Zürich
Fussballclub Zürich, commonly abbreviated to FC Zürich or simply FCZ, is a Swiss football club based in Zürich. The club was founded in 1896 and has won the Swiss Super League 13 times and the Swiss Cup 10 times. The most recent titles a ...
. This was despite the fact that they defeated
Zürich
Zürich () is the list of cities in Switzerland, largest city in Switzerland and the capital of the canton of Zürich. It is located in north-central Switzerland, at the northwestern tip of Lake Zürich. As of January 2020, the municipality has 43 ...
in three of the four direct matches during that league season. Basel missed their championship aim.
Domestic Cup
;FC Liestal
In the early rounds of the 2006–07
Swiss Cup
The Swiss Cup (; ; ; ) is a football cup tournament that has been organised annually since 1925–26 by the Swiss Football Association. Since 1999 the winner earns the chance to qualify for the UEFA Europa League or the UEFA Europa Conference L ...
Basel were drawn with away games against lower league teams. Basel started in the third round against local team FC Liestal.
Cristiano dos Santos Rodrigues
Cristiano dos Santos Rodrigues (born 3 June 1981), commonly known as Cristiano, is a retired Brazilian footballer.
Biography Early career
Cristiano began his club career with Dutch club NAC Breda. He signed his first professional contract with ...
played his team debut on 26 August 2006 in the Cup match against local club FC Liestal. He scored three goals for his new club, during the first 27 minutes of the game, as Basel advanced with the end score 6–1 to the next round.
Delron Buckley
Delron Sebastian Buckley (born 7 December 1977) is a South African former professional footballer. His preferred position was the left wing although he could also play as a striker. In September 2021, he was appointed Head Coach of the Universi ...
(19), captain
Ivan Ergić
Ivan Ergić ( sr-Cyrl, Иван Ергић, ; born 21 January 1981) is a retired Serbian footballer who played as a midfielder.
Born in modern-day Croatia and raised in Australia, he began his career at Perth Glory and was briefly with Juventus ...
(20) and
Daniel Majstorović
Daniel Majstorović ( sr-cyr, Даниел Мајсторовић; born on 5 April 1977) is a Swedish former footballer who played as a centre back.
He started his career with IF Brommapojkarna in his native Sweden. After a year with the club, ...
(66) scored the other goals. It was also Majstorović who was responsible for the final result with an own goal in the 70th minute.
;AC Lugano
In the second-round opponents were second tier
Lugano
Lugano (, , ; lmo, label=Ticinese dialect, Ticinese, Lugan ) is a city and municipality in Switzerland, part of the Lugano District in the canton of Ticino. It is the largest city of both Ticino and the Italian-speaking southern Switzerland. Luga ...
. Basel clearly won this tie as well 4–0 and goal scorers were
Delron Buckley
Delron Sebastian Buckley (born 7 December 1977) is a South African former professional footballer. His preferred position was the left wing although he could also play as a striker. In September 2021, he was appointed Head Coach of the Universi ...
,
Filipe Caicedo,
Mladen Petrić
Mladen Petrić (; born 1 January 1981) is a retired Croatian professional footballer who played as a forward or striker. During his career, he played for Grasshopper, Basel, Borussia Dortmund, Hamburger SV, Fulham, West Ham United and Pana ...
and
Franz Burgmeier
Franz Burgmeier (born 7 April 1982) is a Liechtenstein former professional footballer, who played as a midfielder. Born in Triesen, Burgmeier was a burgeoning footballer and keen skier, until he gave up the latter sport at 16 following a seriou ...
, whereas the last three goals weren't scored until the last 15 minutes of the match. The match was noted as being very rough, referee René Rogalla showed the yellow card to five Lugano players.
;FC Baulmes
However, in the third-round game on 12 November away against second tier
FC Baulmes
FC Baulmes is a Swiss football club based in Baulmes
Baulmes () is a municipality in the district of Jura-Nord Vaudois in the canton of Vaud in Switzerland.
History
Baulmes is first mentioned in 652 as ''in loco Balmensi''. In 1123 it was ...
extra time was needed before the tie was decided. Basel played a bad first half,
Bruno Berner
Bruno George Berner (born 21 November 1977) is a Swiss professional football manager and former player who is the head coach of FC Winterthur in the Swiss Super League. Throughout his playing career, Berner played predominantly as a left back, bu ...
had to clear a ball off the line, with goalkeeper
Franco Costanzo
Franco Costanzo Geymonat (born 5 September 1980) is a former Argentine football goalkeeper who last played for Chilean club Universidad Católica of the Primera División.
He has earned the reputation of being an eccentric goalkeeper by ofte ...
already beaten. Head coach
Christian Gross
Christian Jürgen Gross (born 14 August 1954) is a Swiss football manager and former player who most recently coached Schalke 04. He played as a sweeper and central midfielder.
Gross was manager of Basel from 1 July 1999 to 27 May 2009, winning ...
made three early substitutions, but despite these changes, the hosts went two goals up in the 72nd minute.
Filipe Caicedo, who had been substituted in at half time, reacted quickly and scored within a minute and
Mladen Petrić
Mladen Petrić (; born 1 January 1981) is a retired Croatian professional footballer who played as a forward or striker. During his career, he played for Grasshopper, Basel, Borussia Dortmund, Hamburger SV, Fulham, West Ham United and Pana ...
equalised within another few minutes. During the extra time the hosts were visibly tired and
Mile Sterjovski
Mile Sterjovski (born 27 May 1979) is an Australian former football (soccer) player. Sterjovski played mainly as a right winger or as a second striker, but also played as a left winger and central midfielder. He is currently the head coach of Mac ...
was able to score the winning goal for the visitors.
;FC Aarau
After the New Year, the quarterfinal was a home tie against
FC Aarau
FC Aarau is a Swiss football club based in Aarau. They play in the Swiss Challenge League, the second tier of Swiss football after being relegated from Swiss Super League.
History
FC Aarau was formed on 26 May 1902 by workers from a local ...
on the 14 March 2007. The match was decided very early,
Mile Sterjovski
Mile Sterjovski (born 27 May 1979) is an Australian former football (soccer) player. Sterjovski played mainly as a right winger or as a second striker, but also played as a left winger and central midfielder. He is currently the head coach of Mac ...
netted the first attacking move in the first minute of the game. Aarau tried everything afterwards to get level. Goalkeeper
Franco Costanzo
Franco Costanzo Geymonat (born 5 September 1980) is a former Argentine football goalkeeper who last played for Chilean club Universidad Católica of the Primera División.
He has earned the reputation of being an eccentric goalkeeper by ofte ...
had a good day and made good saves. Aarau complained for a penalty as
Demetrio Greco was brought down five minutes from the end, but referee Sascha Kever did not blow his whistle. Two minutes into the over-time nearly the decider, but
Eren Derdiyok
Eren Derdiyok (born 12 June 1988) is a Swiss professional footballer who plays as a striker. He is a former Swiss international.
Early life
Derdiyok was born in Basel, Switzerland, into a Kurdish family from Turkey. He also holds Turkish cit ...
's shot hit the post. Four minutes into the over-time Costanzo made another good save and Basel were through to the next round.
;FC Wil
The semifinal was an away tie against
FC Wil
FC Wil (''Fussball Club Wil 1900'') is a football club based in Wil, Switzerland. They play in the ''Sportpark Bergholz'', which has a total capacity of 6,048. The club has consistently played in the Swiss second tier since regaining promotion in ...
on 26 April. Basel took the lead 5 minutes before half-time as
Scott Chipperfield
Scott Kenneth Chipperfield (born 30 December 1975) is an Australian former soccer player who played as a midfielder for Wollongong Wolves, FC Basel, FC Aesch and Australia. His 2010 FIFA World Cup profile describes him "as a talented attacker wi ...
netted and
Franz Burgmeier
Franz Burgmeier (born 7 April 1982) is a Liechtenstein former professional footballer, who played as a midfielder. Born in Triesen, Burgmeier was a burgeoning footballer and keen skier, until he gave up the latter sport at 16 following a seriou ...
netted the second five minutes after the break.
Kristian Nushi
Kristian Nushi (born 21 July 1982) is a Kosovan professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Swiss club FC Uzwil.
Club career Early career
Nushi began his career at the Prishtina. In 1999, he moved to Switzerland and played for Spiez u ...
pulled one back for the home team after 57 minutes. But
Delron Buckley
Delron Sebastian Buckley (born 7 December 1977) is a South African former professional footballer. His preferred position was the left wing although he could also play as a striker. In September 2021, he was appointed Head Coach of the Universi ...
put his side two goals ahead again some 10 minutes later. This was the final score and Basel advanced to the final
;FC Luzern
The Final took place at
Stade de Suisse, Wankdorf
The Wankdorf Stadium (; between 2005 and 2020 known as Stade de Suisse) is a football stadium in Bern, Switzerland. The second largest all-seater football stadium in Switzerland, it currently serves as the home ground of the Swiss football te ...
in
Bern
german: Berner(in)french: Bernois(e) it, bernese
, neighboring_municipalities = Bremgarten bei Bern, Frauenkappelen, Ittigen, Kirchlindach, Köniz, Mühleberg, Muri bei Bern, Neuenegg, Ostermundigen, Wohlen bei Bern, Zollikofen
, website ...
on Whit Monday 28 May 2007 in front of 30,000 spectators. Basel won the
Cup
A cup is an open-top used to hold hot or cold liquids for pouring or drinking; while mainly used for drinking, it also can be used to store solids for pouring (e.g., sugar, flour, grains, salt). Cups may be made of glass, metal, china, clay, ...
by beating
Luzern
, neighboring_municipalities= Adligenswil, Ebikon, Emmen, Horw, Kriens, Malters, Meggen, Neuenkirch
Lucerne ( , ; High Alemannic: ''Lozärn'') or Luzern ()Other languages: gsw, Lozärn, label=Lucerne German; it, Lucerna ; rm, Lucerna . is a ...
1–0.
Most of the time it was a close game, Basel controlled the game, both teams had chances. Luzern's keeper
David Zibung
David Zibung (born 10 January 1984) is a Swiss former professional footballer who played as a goalkeeper. He spent his entire career from 2003 to 2021 playing for Luzern
, neighboring_municipalities= Adligenswil, Ebikon, Emmen, Horw, Kriens, ...
became the tragic hero in the sold-out Stade de Suisse in Bern, who, according to the interpretation of referee
Nicole Petignat
Nicole Petignat (born October 27, 1966, in La Chaux-de-Fonds, Switzerland) is a Swiss people, Swiss former Association football, football Referee (association football), referee. In August 2003 she became the first female referee of a men's footbal ...
, in the 90th minute pulled
Scott Chipperfield
Scott Kenneth Chipperfield (born 30 December 1975) is an Australian former soccer player who played as a midfielder for Wollongong Wolves, FC Basel, FC Aesch and Australia. His 2010 FIFA World Cup profile describes him "as a talented attacker wi ...
off his feet. Zibung was sent off and
Besnik Zukaj
Besnik Zukaj (born 25 June 1978) is a Serbian football player of Albanian
Albanian may refer to:
*Pertaining to Albania in Southeast Europe; in particular:
**Albanians, an ethnic group native to the Balkans
**Albanian language
**Albanian cult ...
was substituted in. The winning goal came from the penalty spot through
Daniel Majstorović
Daniel Majstorović ( sr-cyr, Даниел Мајсторовић; born on 5 April 1977) is a Swedish former footballer who played as a centre back.
He started his career with IF Brommapojkarna in his native Sweden. After a year with the club, ...
in the 93rd minute, Zukaj had no chance of saving it. Basel manager
Christian Gross
Christian Jürgen Gross (born 14 August 1954) is a Swiss football manager and former player who most recently coached Schalke 04. He played as a sweeper and central midfielder.
Gross was manager of Basel from 1 July 1999 to 27 May 2009, winning ...
said the game afterwards: "We really didn't have an easy task with FC Luzern, they managed to close the room very well."
;Conclusion
Basel had missed the championship just four days earlier, but they achieved their aim of winning the cup on this Whit Monday.
Europe
FC Basel's European campaign started in the first qualifying stage of the
UEFA Cup
A cup is an open-top used to hold hot or cold liquids for pouring or drinking; while mainly used for drinking, it also can be used to store Solid, solids for pouring (e.g., sugar, flour, grains, salt). Cups may be made of glass, metal, porcela ...
, here they beat
Kazakhi side
FC Tobol
FC Tobol ( kk, Тобыл футбол клубы, Tobyl Futbol Kluby) is a Kazakh professional football club based at the Central Stadium in Kostanay. They have been members of the Kazakhstan Premier League since its foundation in 1992. They ...
3–1 on aggregate. In the second qualifying round they drawn against
FC Vaduz
FC may refer to:
Businesses, organisations, and schools
* Fergusson College, a science and arts college in Pune, India
* Finncomm Airlines (IATA code)
* FranklinCovey company, NYSE stock symbol FC
* Frontier Corps, a paramilitary force in Pakis ...
from
Liechtenstein
Liechtenstein (), officially the Principality of Liechtenstein (german: link=no, Fürstentum Liechtenstein), is a German-speaking microstate located in the Alps between Austria and Switzerland. Liechtenstein is a semi-constitutional monarchy ...
, narrowly progressing on the
away goals rule
The away goals rule is a method of tiebreaker, tiebreaking in association football and other sports when teams play each other twice, once at each team's home ground. Under the away goals rule, if the total goals scored by each team are equal, the ...
after a 2–2 aggregate draw. In the first round of the competition Basel were drawn against
Macedonians FK Rabotnički
FK Rabotnichki ( mk, ФК Работнички) or more commonly Rabotnički (old transliteration) and Rabotnicki is a football club that plays at the Toshe Proeski Arena in Skopje, North Macedonia. They currently compete in the Macedonian First ...
. Basel won 6–2 at
St. Jakob-Park
St. Jakob-Park () is a Swiss sports stadium in Basel. It is the largest football venue in Switzerland and home to FC Basel. "Joggeli", as the venue is nicknamed by the locals, was originally built with a capacity of 33,433 seats. The capacity w ...
and 1–0 at the
Skopje City Stadium. Thus they qualified for the group stages where they faced tough opposition. Together with
Blackburn Rovers
Blackburn Rovers Football Club is a professional football club, based in Blackburn, Lancashire, England, which competes in the , the second tier of the English football league system. They have played home matches at Ewood Park since 1890. T ...
of England,
AS Nancy
Association Sportive Nancy Lorraine (), commonly known as AS Nancy Lorraine, or simply Nancy, is a French association football club founded in 1967 in Nancy, Grand Est and located in Tomblaine, in the inner suburbs of Nancy. The club currently ...
of France,
Feyenoord
Feyenoord Rotterdam () is a Dutch professional football club in Rotterdam, which plays in the Eredivisie, the top tier in Dutch football. Founded as Wilhelmina in 1908, the club changed to various names before settling on being called after its ...
of The Netherlands and
Wisła Kraków
Towarzystwo Sportowe Wisła Kraków Spółka Akcyjna, commonly referred to as Wisła Kraków (), is a Polish professional football club based in Kraków. It currently competes in the I liga, the second level of Polish football league system. It ...
of Poland, Basel were drawn into Group E. In the Group stage, the teams played a single
round-robin, each with two home games.
;Feyenoord
Basel's first game was at home against
Feyenoord
Feyenoord Rotterdam () is a Dutch professional football club in Rotterdam, which plays in the Eredivisie, the top tier in Dutch football. Founded as Wilhelmina in 1908, the club changed to various names before settling on being called after its ...
. The Dutch side were second best for much of the game and the only surprise was that it took Basel an hour before they edged ahead. A draw had looked highly unlikely for much of the match and goalkeeper
Henk Timmer
Hendrik Timmer (born 3 December 1971) is a Dutch former professional Association football, footballer who played as a Goalkeeper (association football), goalkeeper.
Club career
Timmer was born in Hierden, Harderwijk, Gelderland. He spent his fi ...
was the busiest man on the field.
Mladen Petrić
Mladen Petrić (; born 1 January 1981) is a retired Croatian professional footballer who played as a forward or striker. During his career, he played for Grasshopper, Basel, Borussia Dortmund, Hamburger SV, Fulham, West Ham United and Pana ...
,
Scott Chipperfield
Scott Kenneth Chipperfield (born 30 December 1975) is an Australian former soccer player who played as a midfielder for Wollongong Wolves, FC Basel, FC Aesch and Australia. His 2010 FIFA World Cup profile describes him "as a talented attacker wi ...
and
Mile Sterjovski
Mile Sterjovski (born 27 May 1979) is an Australian former football (soccer) player. Sterjovski played mainly as a right winger or as a second striker, but also played as a left winger and central midfielder. He is currently the head coach of Mac ...
all had shots at his goal in the opening 12 minutes. With more accuracy Petrić could have had a hat-trick inside 20 minutes, as he headed wide and then drove over the crossbar. Basel dominated the match and it was not a surprise as
Eduardo
Eduardo is the Spanish and Portuguese form of the male given name Edward. Another version is Duarte. It may refer to:
Association football
* Eduardo Bonvallet, Chilean football player and sports commentator
* Eduardo Carvalho, Portuguese footbal ...
struck on the hour, tapping in after Timmer could only parry Petrić's shot.
Stein Huysegems
Stein Huysegems (; born 16 June 1982) is a Belgian former professional footballer who played as a forward.
Career
He started his career at Belgian club Lierse SK, and has also played for the Dutch Eredivisie powerhouses like AZ, Feyenoord an ...
came off the substitutes' bench to earn Feyenoord a 1-1 draw with a goal within five minutes of coming on and with only 14 minutes remaining. The last action belonged to Timmer, who acrobatically kept out Petrić's free-kick as the Dutch side held on.
;Blackburn Rovers
Their next group match was an away tie at
Ewood Park
Ewood Park () is a football stadium in Blackburn, Lancashire, England, and the home of Blackburn Rovers F.C., founding members of the Football League and Premier League, who have played there since 1890. It is an all seater multi-sports facili ...
against
Blackburn Rovers
Blackburn Rovers Football Club is a professional football club, based in Blackburn, Lancashire, England, which competes in the , the second tier of the English football league system. They have played home matches at Ewood Park since 1890. T ...
. Basel played reasonably well but shaky defending towards the end of the game sealed their downfall. Australian defender
Lucas Neill
Lucas Edward Neill (born 9 March 1978) is an Australian former soccer player. Neill played as a defender, often playing as a centre back as well as a full-back. Neill spent almost 15 years of his career playing in England. He represented Austr ...
had the first goal chance for the home team after four minutes, but goalkeeper
Franco Costanzo
Franco Costanzo Geymonat (born 5 September 1980) is a former Argentine football goalkeeper who last played for Chilean club Universidad Católica of the Primera División.
He has earned the reputation of being an eccentric goalkeeper by ofte ...
held. Turckish midfielder
Tugay Kerimoğlu
Tugay Kerimoğlu (born 24 August 1970) is a Turkish former professional footballer who played as a midfielder. He spent the majority of his career for Galatasaray and Blackburn Rovers; winning silverware at Rangers F.C. in-between. He was the coo ...
tried an overhead kick after eight minutes, but it went far off.
Zdravko Kuzmanović
Zdravko Kuzmanović ( sr-Cyrl, Здравко Кузмановић, ; born 22 September 1987) is a Serbian footballer who plays as a defensive or central midfielder. He last played for FC Basel. He represented Serbia in the 2010 FIFA World Cup.
...
saw the yellow card just after that, but only the referee knew why.
Morten Gamst Pedersen
Morten Gamst Pedersen (born 8 September 1981) is a Norwegian professional footballer who last played as a midfielder for Åsane.
Pedersen began his career with Tromsø, then played for English side Blackburn Rovers between 2004 and 2013. He the ...
tried a wide range shot one minute later again Costanzo held.
Eduardo
Eduardo is the Spanish and Portuguese form of the male given name Edward. Another version is Duarte. It may refer to:
Association football
* Eduardo Bonvallet, Chilean football player and sports commentator
* Eduardo Carvalho, Portuguese footbal ...
had Basel's first chance, the Blackburn defence could clear, but it went off for a corner. There was a great chance after Eduardo crossed, but
Mladen Petrić
Mladen Petrić (; born 1 January 1981) is a retired Croatian professional footballer who played as a forward or striker. During his career, he played for Grasshopper, Basel, Borussia Dortmund, Hamburger SV, Fulham, West Ham United and Pana ...
put the ball next to the goal. 32nd Minute offside, a clear wrong decision, as Eduardo started off alone towards the Blackburn goal. There were chances on both sides. Blackburn had 20 attempts, 11 of which on target. Basel had ten, but only four on target. 15 minutes from time
Tugay Kerimoğlu
Tugay Kerimoğlu (born 24 August 1970) is a Turkish former professional footballer who played as a midfielder. He spent the majority of his career for Galatasaray and Blackburn Rovers; winning silverware at Rangers F.C. in-between. He was the coo ...
scored in the top left corner with a good 25 meter Sunday shot. The disastrous referee
Oleh Oriekhov gave a penalty against Basel after a clear dive and
Francis Jeffers
Francis Jeffers (born 25 January 1981) is an English football coach and former player, who is a first-team coach at Oldham Athletic.
Jeffers started his career at his boyhood club Everton, making his debut in 1997 as a 16 year old. After scori ...
scored from the spot in the 90th minute.
Benni McCarthy
Benedict Saul "Benni" McCarthy (born 12 November 1977) is a South African coach and former footballer who is a first-team coach at Manchester United. He previously worked as head coach of South African Premier Division team AmaZulu.
A former fo ...
added a third goal in the third minute of over time as the defence over saw him.
;AS Nancy
Their next opponents were
AS Nancy
Association Sportive Nancy Lorraine (), commonly known as AS Nancy Lorraine, or simply Nancy, is a French association football club founded in 1967 in Nancy, Grand Est and located in Tomblaine, in the inner suburbs of Nancy. The club currently ...
in a home game at the
St. Jakob-Park
St. Jakob-Park () is a Swiss sports stadium in Basel. It is the largest football venue in Switzerland and home to FC Basel. "Joggeli", as the venue is nicknamed by the locals, was originally built with a capacity of 33,433 seats. The capacity w ...
on 23 November. Basel went behind twice, but were able to draw level both times. Basel had two early chances, captain
Ivan Ergić
Ivan Ergić ( sr-Cyrl, Иван Ергић, ; born 21 January 1981) is a retired Serbian footballer who played as a midfielder.
Born in modern-day Croatia and raised in Australia, he began his career at Perth Glory and was briefly with Juventus ...
in the 14th minute and another in the 21st, but the game started rather slow. It exploded into life just after the half-hour when
Monsef Zerka
Monsef Zerka ( ar, منصف زرقا, born 30 August 1981) is a former professional footballer. He originally played as a striker, but throughout his career he has also played as a fullback and as a midfielder. Born in France, he represented Mo ...
broke down the right for the French team and cut into the area before laying off a perfectly weighted pass for
Kim
Kim or KIM may refer to:
Names
* Kim (given name)
* Kim (surname)
** Kim (Korean surname)
*** Kim family (disambiguation), several dynasties
**** Kim family (North Korea), the rulers of North Korea since Kim Il-sung in 1948
** Kim, Vietnamese f ...
, who finished off nicely. The lead did not quite correspond to the course of the game. The Basel response was immediate,
Reto Zanni
Reto Zanni (born 9 February 1980) is a Swiss former Association football, footballer who played mainly as Defender (association football), right defender, but also as central defender.
Football career Grasshopper Club
Zanni played his youth foo ...
supplying
Scott Chipperfield
Scott Kenneth Chipperfield (born 30 December 1975) is an Australian former soccer player who played as a midfielder for Wollongong Wolves, FC Basel, FC Aesch and Australia. His 2010 FIFA World Cup profile describes him "as a talented attacker wi ...
as the Australian international broke from midfield to fire past
Olivier Sorin
Olivier Sorin (born 16 April 1981 in Gien) is a French Association football, footballer who last played as Goalkeeper (association football), goalkeeper for Stade Rennais F.C., Rennes in the French Ligue 1.
Nancy
Sorin started his professional ...
from inside the area. But Nancy were back in front within two minutes.
Pascal Berenguer
Pascal Berenguer (born 20 May 1981, in Marseille, France) is a French former professional footballer who played as a midfielder
A midfielder is an outfield position in association football.
Midfielders may play an exclusively defensi ...
curled in a superb free-kick after he had been upended by
Papa Malick Ba. After the restart, Basel pressed for the second equaliser through a shot from
Kōji Nakata
is a Japanese former professional footballer who played as a defender and midfielder. At international level, he represented Japan national team playing at both the 2002, and the 2006 FIFA World Cup.
Club career Kashima Antlers
The 'other N ...
. Parity was restored, however, on 56 minutes as
Mile Sterjovski
Mile Sterjovski (born 27 May 1979) is an Australian former football (soccer) player. Sterjovski played mainly as a right winger or as a second striker, but also played as a left winger and central midfielder. He is currently the head coach of Mac ...
got the final touch to a free-kick from the influential
Mladen Petrić
Mladen Petrić (; born 1 January 1981) is a retired Croatian professional footballer who played as a forward or striker. During his career, he played for Grasshopper, Basel, Borussia Dortmund, Hamburger SV, Fulham, West Ham United and Pana ...
. Basel were pushing for the winning goal, as during the last minute of the game they were caught by a counterattack. Goalkeeper
Franco Costanzo
Franco Costanzo Geymonat (born 5 September 1980) is a former Argentine football goalkeeper who last played for Chilean club Universidad Católica of the Primera División.
He has earned the reputation of being an eccentric goalkeeper by ofte ...
was only able to stop the Nancy attack by fouling
Issiar Dia
Issiar Dia (born 8 June 1987) is a professional footballer who most recently played as a winger for Turkish club Yeni Malatyaspor. Born in France, he represented Senegal at international level.
Club career Nancy
In summer 2006, Dia joined AS Na ...
, which resulted in his sending off and a penalty against Basel. They had already used all three substitutes, therefore striker
Mladen Petrić
Mladen Petrić (; born 1 January 1981) is a retired Croatian professional footballer who played as a forward or striker. During his career, he played for Grasshopper, Basel, Borussia Dortmund, Hamburger SV, Fulham, West Ham United and Pana ...
donned the goalkeeper shirt and stood between the posts. He was able to save the penalty kick taken by
Mickaël Chrétien, thus helping his team to the 2–2 draw.
;Wisła Kraków
Basel's last group game was played away against
Wisła Kraków
Towarzystwo Sportowe Wisła Kraków Spółka Akcyjna, commonly referred to as Wisła Kraków (), is a Polish professional football club based in Kraków. It currently competes in the I liga, the second level of Polish football league system. It ...
at the
Wisła Stadium. FCB needed a win to qualify for the next round. The hosts had the first good chance, but Basel started better into the game. Basel's striker
Mladen Petrić
Mladen Petrić (; born 1 January 1981) is a retired Croatian professional footballer who played as a forward or striker. During his career, he played for Grasshopper, Basel, Borussia Dortmund, Hamburger SV, Fulham, West Ham United and Pana ...
netted the first goal after a corner in the 8th minute.
Daniel Majstorović
Daniel Majstorović ( sr-cyr, Даниел Мајсторовић; born on 5 April 1977) is a Swedish former footballer who played as a centre back.
He started his career with IF Brommapojkarna in his native Sweden. After a year with the club, ...
header was a very good pass and Petrić easily pushed the ball over the line. Wisla, who lost the other three games in the grouüp stage, but had scored one goal in each, pressed hard and scored the equaliser within just two minutes.
Paweł Brożek
Paweł Łukasz Brożek (; born 21 April 1983) is a Polish former professional footballer who played as a striker. Brozek previously represented various youth squads for Poland. He made his Poland national football team debut in 2005, scored over ...
pushed the ball between goalkeeper
Louis Crayton
Louis Crayton (born 26 October 1977 in Monrovia) is a Liberian former footballer.
Career Early years
Crayton started his career playing for St. Joseph Warriors in Liberia before moving to his first Swiss club, Luzern in 1997. He left the clu ...
legs in their next attack. Paweł Brożek then had another three or four good chances before the half time whistle from Hungarian referee
Viktor Kassai
Viktor Kassai (''Kassai Viktor'', Hungarian pronunciation: ; born 10 September 1975) is a Hungarian football official and a former referee who is the current head of refereeing department of the Bulgarian Football Union. He participated in the ...
. In the second period Wisła central defender
Cléber saw a yellow card for a foul in the 46th minute. Then midfielder
Radosław Sobolewski
Radosław Sobolewski (; born 13 December 1976) is a Polish professional football manager and former player who played as a defensive midfielder. He was most recently the head coach of I liga club Wisła Kraków. He played for the Poland nationa ...
saw a yellow card in the 50th minute and five minutes later he had a good chance, but he took a hand to help and the referee had seen this. Paweł Brożek's twin brother and striking campagnion
Piotr Brożek
Piotr Czesław Brożek (born 21 April 1983) is a Polish footballer who plays as a left-back or on the left wing.
Club career
Born in Kielce, Piotr was a product of the Polonia Białogon Kielce youth system, and moved to Wisła Kraków in 1998. H ...
had had a good first half, but after the break he wasn't in the game any longer and was substituted out after 67 minutes. His replacement was
Jean Paulista
Jean Francisco Rodrigues (born 28 November 1977), commonly known as Jean Paulista, is a Brazilian former professional footballer who played as a forward or an attacking midfielder.
Club career
Born in Sertãozinho, São Paulo, Paulista played wit ...
and he had the first good scene in the second half and scored Wisla's second goal on 71 minutes. Paweł Brożek then had another good chance in the 80th minute. Crayton rescues sensationally, but remained somewhat dazed lying on the pitch, because Brozek did not jump up properly and accidentally hit him on the head with his boot. Paweł Brożek became man of the match just three minutes later as he took the pass from
Jakub Błaszczykowski
Jakub Błaszczykowski (; born 14 December 1985), also known as Kuba, is a Polish professional footballer who plays as a winger for Wisła Kraków, businessman and Wisła Kraków's part owner. He started his professional football at Wisła Krakó ...
and netted the team's third goal, for Wisla to win, with the end result 3–1.
;Conclusion
Basel's poor European campaign came to an end after losing 3–1 to Wisla, despite taking an early lead. Basel missed their aim to remain in European competition over the winter break. Despite everything, it was a disappointing European campaign.
Club
The Management
Kit
,
,
Other information
Players
First team squad
Multiple Nationality
* 1
Franco Costanzo
Franco Costanzo Geymonat (born 5 September 1980) is a former Argentine football goalkeeper who last played for Chilean club Universidad Católica of the Primera División.
He has earned the reputation of being an eccentric goalkeeper by ofte ...
* 5
Daniel Majstorović
Daniel Majstorović ( sr-cyr, Даниел Мајсторовић; born on 5 April 1977) is a Swedish former footballer who played as a centre back.
He started his career with IF Brommapojkarna in his native Sweden. After a year with the club, ...
* 9
Marko Perović
* 10
Mladen Petrić
Mladen Petrić (; born 1 January 1981) is a retired Croatian professional footballer who played as a forward or striker. During his career, he played for Grasshopper, Basel, Borussia Dortmund, Hamburger SV, Fulham, West Ham United and Pana ...
* 11
Scott Chipperfield
Scott Kenneth Chipperfield (born 30 December 1975) is an Australian former soccer player who played as a midfielder for Wollongong Wolves, FC Basel, FC Aesch and Australia. His 2010 FIFA World Cup profile describes him "as a talented attacker wi ...
* 17
Ivan Rakitić
Ivan Rakitić (; born 10 March 1988) is a Croatian professional footballer who plays as a central or attacking midfielder for La Liga club Sevilla.
Rakitić started his professional career at Basel and spent two seasons with them before he was s ...
* 18
Louis Crayton
Louis Crayton (born 26 October 1977 in Monrovia) is a Liberian former footballer.
Career Early years
Crayton started his career playing for St. Joseph Warriors in Liberia before moving to his first Swiss club, Luzern in 1997. He left the clu ...
* 22
Ivan Ergić
Ivan Ergić ( sr-Cyrl, Иван Ергић, ; born 21 January 1981) is a retired Serbian footballer who played as a midfielder.
Born in modern-day Croatia and raised in Australia, he began his career at Perth Glory and was briefly with Juventus ...
* 31
Eren Derdiyok
Eren Derdiyok (born 12 June 1988) is a Swiss professional footballer who plays as a striker. He is a former Swiss international.
Early life
Derdiyok was born in Basel, Switzerland, into a Kurdish family from Turkey. He also holds Turkish cit ...
Transfers summer 2006
In
Out
Transfers winter 2006–07
In
Out
Results and fixtures
Friendlies
Pre- and mid-season friendlies
Winter break and mid-season friendlies
Swiss Super League
First half of season
Second half of season
Final league table
Swiss Cup
2006–07 Swiss Cup
UEFA Cup
Qualifying rounds
''Basel won 3–1 on aggregate.''
''2-2 on aggregate, Basel win on away goals''
First round
''Basel won 7–2 on aggregate.''
Group stage / Group E
Group E table
References
Sources
* Rotblau: Jahrbuch Saison 2015/2016. Publisher: FC Basel Marketing AG.
* Rotblau: Jahrbuch Saison 2017/2018. Publisher: FC Basel Marketing AG.
* Die ersten 125 Jahre / 2018. Publisher: Josef Zindel im Friedrich Reinhardt Verlag, Basel.
FCB squad 2006–07 at fcb-archiv.ch
External links
FC Basel official sitefootball.ch
{{DEFAULTSORT:2006-07 FC Basel season
FC Basel seasons
Basel
, french: link=no, Bâlois(e), it, Basilese
, neighboring_municipalities= Allschwil (BL), Hégenheim (FR-68), Binningen (BL), Birsfelden (BL), Bottmingen (BL), Huningue (FR-68), Münchenstein (BL), Muttenz (BL), Reinach (BL), Riehen (BS ...