their confidence boosted by a 3-1 win at as roma a fortnight ago, gilles yapi says fc basel 1893 are looking to repeat the trick when st. jakob-park stages the return on wednesday.
fc basel 1893 are out to prove their victory away to as roma a fortnight ago was no fluke as the sides meet again at st. jakob-park on wednesday, according to one of the key performers in that 3-1 win – gilles yapi.
the midfielder was involved in the move that ended with alexander frei opening the scoring at the stadio olimpico, and saw enough from the swiss champions to suggest another group e triumph is a distinct possibility.
"roma are obviously the favourites in this match – roma are roma and basel are basel," said yapi. "however, i believe that we can beat this great team if we perform at our best; the win at roma was great for our confidence."
basel's first uefa champions league win since 2003 lifted thorsten fink's side on to three points in the section, level with the giallorossi and cfr 1907 cluj and six behind pacesetters fc bayern münchen.
yapi played down media praise of his eye-catching display in rome – "i respect the opinion of the press but the performance of the team is always more important than the performance of an individual" – and instead focused on the challenge which lies ahead.
"things move extremely fast in football and our excellent display against bayern, which ended in defeat, and our win at roma are history now. we are facing a tough game tomorrow."
meanwhile, roma goalkeeper júlio sérgio is wary of basel's attacking options, which include the ivorian playmaker. "we know that basel are excellent in attack," he said. "we have to be careful and close them down, as we're obviously trying to reduce the number of chances our opponents create." the brazilian could return in place of bogdan lobonţ after recovering from an ankle injury.
cruising at half-time, roma were forced to cling on for a win that lifts them to second in group e after fending off a spirited basel fightback.
substitute leandro greco's strike proved decisive as as roma held off a spirited fightback from fc basel 1893 to run out 3-2 winners and avenge their home loss to the same opponents a fortnight ago.
jérémy menez's opener and francesco totti's penalty had put the visitors firmly in control by the break. however, an alexander frei header and a late goal from xherdan shaqiri meant the serie a side required greco's third in between to ensure victory – a win that lifts roma up into second in group e, three points ahead of basel and cfr 1907 cluj.
with both clubs level in the section ahead of return meeting, there was always a danger that caution could overshadow proceedings at st. jakob-park. fortunately both sides pressed for an early lead. menez was the first to go close for roma when he grazed the bar from a tight angle, before júlio sérgio bravely denied benjamin huggel at the other end.
confidence high after their victory at the stadio olimpico a fortnight ago, the hosts were looking ominous in the final third, so it came against the run of play when the visitors took the lead on 16 minutes. samuel inkoom did enough to halt mirko vučinić before he could pull the trigger, but was helpless as menez stroked in the loose ball.
claudio ranieri's side then doubled their lead with 25 minutes gone. valentin stocker tugged at john arne riise as the norwegian international made strides into the box, allowing totti to fire in the resulting penalty. demoralised by the two-goal deficit, basel received a rousing reception upon their return after interval, though it took until midway through the second period for the hosts to threaten.
first gilles yapi sent a dipping volley narrowly over, before david abraham charged forward from centre-back only to blast a fearsome shot just wide. basel's renewed efforts were rewarded on 69 minutes when stocker's left-wing cross was deflected past roma goalkeeper júlio sérgio, allowing frei to nod into the unguarded net.
marco streller struck a post, but hopes of a comeback were dealt a further blow on 76 minutes as substitute greco fired in roma's third following some good work in the box by marco borriello. shaqiri's late goal for basel set up a tense finale, but ultimately ranieri's charges held on for a crucial three points. the home side's frustration was compounded in added time as stocker was shown a second yellow card.
yardımcı hakemler: sander van roekel (ned), berry simons (ned)
4. hakem: pol van boekel (ned)
çizgi hakemleri: bas nijhuis (ned), danny desmond makkelie (ned)
basel: franco costanzo (gk) (c), benjamin huggel, marco streller, gilles yapi, alexander frei, valentin stocker, xherdan shaqiri, david abraham, behrang safari, samuel inkoom, beg ferati (dk. 88 scott chipperfield)
yedekler: yann sommer (gk), çağdaş atan, federico almerares, cabral, fwayo tembo, reto zanni
teknik direktör: thorsten fink (ger)
roma: júlio sérgio (gk), juan, mirko vučinić (dk. 70 marco borriello), francesco totti (c), daniele de rossi, john arne riise, simone perrotta, nicolás burdisso (dk. 81 guillermo burdisso), fábio simplício, marco cassetti, jérémy menez (dk. 75 leandro greco)
yedekler: bogdan lobonţ (gk), cicinho, paolo castellini, stefano okaka
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