Basel reach the Cup quarter-finals for the 3rd time in a row. Fabio Celestini's team wins against Sion on penalties. The hero was Marwin Hitz with two saves.
04.12.2024, 23:03
04.12.2024, 23:11
SDA
It was a real cup fight between Basel and Sion, which was tied 2-2 after 120 minutes and at the end of which FCB had the better nerves in the penalty shoot-out. While all of the home team's shooters scored, Marwin Hitz saved two of the Valais side's attempts and guided his team into the last eight.
There was a lot to be said in FC Basel's favor before the match. On the one hand, there was their strength in form. The Super League leaders had won six of their last eight games and only lost once. FC Sion were an opponent who had not yet torn too many strings away from home, had only won twice away from home in the league and twice in the cup this season - and who last won in Basel more than nine years ago.
Basel had all the advantages on their side at the latest after the early opening goal. It was another one of those Shaqiri moments that steered the game in the direction many expected early on. In the 5th minute, the former Swiss international curled a free-kick he had taken himself around the Valais wall from around 20 meters out, giving Timothy Fayulu in the visitors' goal no chance of defending.
Despite having the lead at the back, FCB looked disjointed and repeatedly invited their opponents to launch dangerous counter-attacks by losing the ball in the forward movement. Two such counter-attacks led to two goals in the space of eight minutes in the first half, with Basel central defender Nicolas Vouilloz at the origin of both and Théo Bouchlarhem scoring with a bit of luck at the end following an assist from Ilyas Chouaref.
FC Basel were only able to break down the Valais defense in the final phase. It was a wonderful long-range shot from substitute Anton Kade that equalized in the 86th minute and saved the Basel side from going into extra time.
Telegram:
Basel - Sion 2:2 (1:2, 2:2) n.V.; 4:1 i.P. - SR Schärer. - Goals: 5. Shaqiri 1:0. 29. Bouchlarhem 1:1. 38. Bouchlarhem 1:2. 86. Kade 2:2. - Penalty shoot-out: Shaqiri 1:0, Souza - (FCB goalie Hitz saves); Kade 2:0, Schmied - (Hitz saves); Kevin Carlos 3:0, Baltazar 3:1; Fink 4:1.
The other round of 16. On Tuesday: Langenthal (1st) - Biel (PL) 0:6 (0:4). Grasshoppers - Zurich 0:1 (0:0). On Wednesday: Schaffhausen (ChL) - Young Boys 0:1 (0:1). Yverdon - Lugano 0:2 (0:0). On Thursday: Aarau (ChL) - Etoile Carouge (ChL) 20.00. Bellinzona (ChL) - St. Gallen 20.30. Winterthur - Lausanne 20.30
