Marco Streller's rebound goal seven minutes into the second half was enough for FC Basel to defeat Liverpool 1-0 on Tuesday. The Reds offense had a few moments late in the match, but overall they were kept under control thanks to an excellent performance by the Basel midfield, and a chronic inability by the Liverpool strikers to stay onside as Brendan Rodgers' side had two goals correctly disallowed.
FC Basel vs. Liverpool final score: 3 things from the Reds defeat in Switzerland
Marco Streller’s goal early in the second half gave Basel the victory over Liverpool.
Jamie McDonald
There were no goals in the first half between Basel and Liverpool, along with a distinct lack of good chances. It wasn’t for a lack of trying from either club, but neither was very efficient in the final third over the opening 45 minutes. Liverpool simply couldn’t stay onside, getting caught too far forward on several occasions that led to promising chances being completed wasted. As for Basel, their passing was poor in and around the Liverpool box and they failed to convert their possession into dangerous offensive moments.
The best scoring chance of the half fell to Serey Die, who was inexplicably given a huge amount of space in the box by the Liverpool defense. Die’s shot was poor though, going right at Mignolet who made a nice save with his feet.
All the pressure finally paid off in the 52nd minute when Basel took advantage of a loose ball in the box after a corner to take a deserved 1-0 lead. Simon Mignolet made the initial save as Martin Srktel headed the ball on goal in a failed clearance attempt, but Marco Streller pounced on the rebound, hammering the ball past the Liverpool goalkeeper.
The goal woke up Liverpool a bit, as they finally started to get some increased attacking pressure on Basel. The home side’s defense stood tall though, blocking several chances for the Reds including a wonderful chance in the 61st minute by Lazar Markovic who was denied by a Ludogrets defender who came streaking across the path of the ball to deflect it away.
Basel: Vaclík, Schär, Xhaka, Suchý, Safari (González 9’), Elneny, Die, Frei, Hamoudi (Zuffi 92’), Streller, Embolo (Calla 81’)
Goals: Streller (52’)
Liverpool: Mignolet; Manquillo, Skrtel, Lovren, Enrique, Gerrard, Coutinho (Lallana 70’), Henderson, Sterling, Balotelli, Marković (Lambert 81’)
Goals: None
3 Things
1. Liverpool's defense remains shaky - Despite all the money Brendan Rodgers spent over the summer, his defense remains his team's greatest liability. Speed down the wings causes problems for the Reds as they tend to get themselves very stretched out across the back line, leaving huge pockets of space on crosses. Set pieces aren't much better, and that was their undoing on the day as despite Mignolet's best efforts, he couldn't deny multiple chances in front of goal at a key moment.
2. Mario Balotelli can't help you if you can't get him the ball - The fiery Italian is a wonderful player and a talented goal scorer, but the players around him consistently fail over the course of 90 minutes to get him the ball or provide any decent service, there's really not much he can do ... other than get frustrated.
3. Basel and Liverpool will battle for 2nd place in Group B - This really isn’t a surprise, it’s what most people expected honestly, and it means that their rematch later this year at Anfield could be extremely important. How Liverpool deals with Real Madrid will also be vital. Los Blancos dismantled Basel 5-1, so if the Reds are able to get a result against Madrid either at Anfield or at the Bernabéu, it could tilt things in their favor.
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