Super League
A Basel victory with the effect of a tranquilizer
A very solid FC Basel beat a very weak Grasshoppers 3-0 and secured their first points of the season. Bénie Traoré scored for the first time for his team, Thierno Barry scored twice again.
Delivers the can opener with the opening goal for FC Basel’s 3-0 victory over Grasshoppers: Bénie Traoré.
Bild: Marc Schumacher/Freshfocus
After days of confusion on and off the pitch, FC Basel gave the answer on the Letzigrund pitch: in the form of a confident 3-0 win against GC. After the bad start, these are the first three points of the season, and it is also the biggest win in almost exactly a year and the 5-2 at home against FC Winterthur. The last time FCB scored more goals away from home was on April 30th last year, also against Winterthur (4-1).
FCB, with two positions changed compared to the previous week and again with latecomer Thierno Barry on the right in the three-man attack and Finn van Breemen instead of Arnau Comas in defence, is approaching the matter with concentration, making hardly any mistakes and showing consistency.
The first ball on goal means the lead, with Bénie Traoré benefiting from Albian Ajeti skilfully letting a Schmid cross pass through and Saulo Decarli stumbling in an attempt to defend, scoring his first goal in the FCB jersey. The Ivorian scores from three meters in the 25th minute.
Traorés Pass is the most beautiful of 375 Basel passes
Afterwards, the 21-year-old admits that he had a “difficult time” in Sheffield and Nantes, 14 months in which he failed to score a goal, and he says: “I knew it would be easier for me to score goals in Basel.”
The Telegram
Grasshoppers – FC Basel 0:3 (0:2)
Letzigrund. – 9,099 spectators. – Referee Sven Wolfensberger. – Tore: 25. Traoré (Schmid) 0:1, 36. Barry (Traoré) 0:2, 58. Barry (Ajeti) 0:3.
GC: Hammel; Paskotis (78. Stroscio), Tobers, Decarli, Ndicka; Seko, Abrashi; Mabil (60. Maurin), Morandi (73. De Carvalho), Schürpf (60. Abubakar); Muci (60. Babunski).
FCB: Hitz; Barisic, Adjetey, van Breemen (73. Vouilloz); Kade, Avdullahu (79th Xhaka), Leroy (60th Frei), Schmid; Barry (73. Soticek), Ajeti, Traoré (60. Fink).
Remarks: GC without Kempter, Laws (injured), Lee (not eligible to play), Schmitz (not called up). FCB without Dräger, Rüegg (injured), Junior Zé (U21), Sigua (under construction). – Warnings: 20. Barisic (Foul), 23. Schürpf (Foul), 28. Kade (Foul), 45. Leroy (Unsportlichkeit), 45.+2 Avdullahu (Foul), 52. Tobers (Foul), 56. Paskotsi (Foul), 75. Babunski (Foul), 90.+5 Stroscio (Foul).
And FCB remains efficient, an attitude that was lacking in the home defeat against Lugano. After a Kade throw-in and a clever feint by Barry, Traoré plays the most beautiful of Basel’s 375 passes into Barry’s path. Eleven minutes after the 0-1, the Frenchman, who is the subject of transfer rumours, which FCB are currently vigorously denying, increases the lead.
A 2-0 half-time lead – FCB managed that only once last season (32nd round against Servette with a 2-1 win). And they didn’t let themselves be thrown off course after the break. Not by this opponent, a modest GC, a harmless, yes, you could even say: abysmally bad opponent. The Grasshoppers did score twelve goals, but not once was a real threat.
Fabio Celestini is in a good mood before kick-off. The first points of the season are to be won in the third game at Letzigrund.
Image: Keystone/Manuel Geisser
And while GC sports director Stephan Schmitz speaks of a “black day” with some consternation, Fabio Celestini is somewhat relieved that the first three points have put an end to the team’s sporting worries. The FCB coach is not immediately euphoric, calling the performance solid, but is pleased with the defensive solidarity, assertiveness in duels and the capture of many so-called second balls: “We played like a team, a team that really wanted to win.”
Hitz: “We showed a much braver face”
Statistically speaking, GC even had more possession in a game with little substance (55 percent). However, the worst of 434 Zurich passes led to the 0:3. Giotto Morandi’s terrible bad pass in the 58th minute first landed with Ajeti, then with Barry, who scored with a dry, slightly deflected low shot from 20 meters after a hook.
His provocation of the opposing fans while celebrating a goal is about as clever as constantly showing up late for training. But the disciplinary and other measures against Barry and other partygoers seem to have caused something like a defiant reaction in his case.
Barry’s presence in the Letzigrund is certainly powerful, alongside that of FCB’s best player Traoré. The same cannot be said of his teammate Ajeti, despite one and a half assists.
“We showed a completely different face than in the first away game,” said FCB goalkeeper Marwin Hitz happily, “much more courageous.” This attitude will be needed at least again next Sunday in Geneva, so that then one can still say that GC’s victory is more than just a tranquilizer for heated Basel tempers.
