beg ferati is demanding full focus from fc basel 1893 when cfr 1907 cluj visit st. jakob-park, with the defender wary of the visitors' counterattacking threat in a must-win match.
fc basel 1893's chances of playing european football in the new year rest in their hands as they prepare to welcome cfr 1907 cluj to switzerland.
with both teams three points behind second-placed as roma in uefa champions league group e, the door to the knockout stages of this competition or the uefa europa league remains very much ajar to the pair. qualification may well come down to who prevails in the head-to-head stakes, cfr having triumphed 2-1 in romania on 15 september. a clean sheet is thus the order of the day for the swiss titleholders at what is expected to be a sold-out st. jakob-park.
"we always play not to concede a goal," said defender beg ferati. "our first priority is always not to concede any goals." after losing to cfr on matchday 1, basel know a 1-0 win would guarantee them a place in the uefa europa league at the very least and leave it all to play for in their final game at fc bayern münchen, regardless of the result between the german team and roma in the other match. "i'm very, very confident that we can win," added the 24-year-old before sounding a note of caution. "it's not going to be easy because they play on the counterattack and, with lacina traoré, they are very dangerous on the break. we have got to attack them and not let them hit back."
should cfr score, the hosts would have to ensure they win by at least two goals to guarantee their european presence in the spring. focus, then, is key. "the champions league is absolutely the highest level of football in the world, at least at club level, and you've always got to keep your concentration," continued ferati. "they have very good individual players and we've just got to concentrate and play our own game."
cluj defender cadú, meanwhile, insists his side have no plans to sit back. "we need a positive result and, for that reason, it's a very important game that we want to win at all costs," he said. "with a positive result, we are 99% through." basel will be without the suspended valentin stocker, who scored what could yet prove a crucial added-time consolation in romania, and marco streller, while scott chipperfield and jacques zoua are both injured. cfr coach sorin cârţu, on the other hand, is spoilt for choice and this, according to cadú, can only be good news. "we have 22 or 23 players in the squad and that means that whoever is chosen will try to give their best," he said.
federico almerares' first-half strike kept thorsten fink's side in the hunt but spelled the end of the road for ten-man cfr.
fc basel 1893 were left with faint hopes of qualification from uefa champions league group e after a narrow but deserved 1-0 victory against cfr 1907 cluj, who will now finish bottom of the section.
federico almerares' 15th-minute strike proved decisive for the swiss side, who in spite of a tense opening managed to keep their composure. still, the three points are unlikely to be enough for basel to reach the first knockout round after as roma's 3-2 victory against fc bayern münchen left them needing victory in germany, and a roma defeat in cluj in a fortnight's time.
with both sides aware that only a win would guarantee their survival in the competition, the nervousness was evident early on with a focus on avoiding errors over attacking risk. young xherdan shaqiri attempted to alleviate the tension with a couple of long-range blasts, while at the other end juan culio was let down by his chest control after being picked out in the box by leo veloso.
the basel fans were able to breathe a sigh of relief with a quarter of an hour gone, however, as samuel inkoom picked out almerares with a fizzing low ball into the area to which the argentinian frontman applied a sliding finish. buoyed by the opener, the swiss titleholders almost netted a second minutes later, but alexander frei's deflected shot was cleared off the line by felice piccolo.
the hosts threatened again when behrang safari's double effort was blocked first by tony and then cadú on the line, though gilt-edged opportunities were few and far between. meanwhile, cfr's struggles in the final third continued into the second half, and it took until the hour mark for the next decent chance to materialise. again, it went the way of the home side, but fwayo tembo's deflected strike was flicked onto the bar by the outstretched leg of nuno claro.
frei thought he had put the game beyond doubt on 73 minutes only to see his close-range finish ruled out for offside, but in truth basel had little to worry about in the latter stages, particularly after piccolo was given a straight red for a push on almerares two minutes from time. thorsten fink's side are now guaranteed third spot and at worst a place in the uefa europa league round of 32. cfr, meanwhile, are left to concentrate on their domestic title push.
1. fc bayern münchen...5...4...0...1...13...6...7...12 2. as roma...5...3...0...2...9...10...-1...9 3. fc basel 1893...5...2...0...3...8...8...0...6 4. cfr 1907 cluj...5...1...0...4...5...11...-6...3
maçın 88. dakikasında bir faul pozisyonunda topu alıp giden basel'li oyuncuya hızlıca gelen ve hafif şarj yapan felice piccolo, basellinin yumruk yemiş gibi yüzünü tutup yerde debelenerek yaptığı "tiyatro" sonunucunda kırmızı kartla oyun dışında kaldı...
basel'in 1-0 galip bitirdiği karşılaşmanın 74. dakikasında cluj teknik direktörü sorin cartu, bir pozisyon sonrasında sinirlerine hakim olamadı ve yedek klübesinin camlarını kırdı. kulübenin camlarını yumruklayan çılgın adam, başarısız olunca camları tekmelemeye başladı. siniri geçmeyen cartu'nun uefa'dan ceza alması bekleniyor.
benzer bir durum 2 sezon önce sivasspor teknik direktörü bülent uygun sivas'ta oynanan bir lig maçında yapmış ve ceza almıştı...
şampiyonlar ligi’nde dün gece deplasmanda basel ile oynadığı maçtan 1-0 yenik ayrılarak elenen rumen cluj takımının teknik direktörü sorin castu, kulüp yönetimi tarafından görevden alındı.
kulüp yönetimi konu ile ilgili bugün yaptığı açıklamada, castu’nun, basel karşısında alınan 1-0’lık yenilginin ardından yedek kulübesinin camını yumruklayarak kırdığını, teknik direktörlerinin yaptığı bu çirkin hareketten dolayı kendilerini küçük düşürerek kulübün imajını zedelediğini, bu nedenle castu ile yolların ayrıldığını bildirdi.
cluj yönetimi, yumruklama ile ilgili olarak, uefa’dan, basel kulübünden ve taraftarlardan yazılı olarak özür dilediklerini, bundan böyle takımın teknik direktörlüğünü cartut alin minteuan’ın yapacağını açıkladı.
