Basel 1893 vs. Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk
Dnipro went to Switzerland on a mission to try to qualify for the Europa League Round of 16 by eliminating Basel, but the home side crushed phase 1 of that mission for them. Although the Ukrainians had more attempts and seemed to play better for the majority of this game, Basel weren’t about to let their fans down on this night! They had very few decent chances but used them well to the delight of their Swiss faithful. Statistic-wise, Dnipro were stronger in almost every aspect except effectiveness in front of goal. Stocker and Streller ensured their club a victory! Five yellow cards were issued by Svein Oddvar Moen between the two teams; 3 to Basel and 2 to Dnipro. No players were sent off during this match.
Murat Yakin and Juande Ramos lined up the following squads:
Basel Starting XI:
Somer, Park Joo Ho, P. Degen, Dragovic, Schar, Serey Die, Cabral, D. Degen, Frei, Streller (c), Stocker
Subs: Vailati, Voser, Sauro, Yapi, El Nenny, Zoua, and Salah
Dnipro Starting XI:
Lastuvka, Mazuch, Mandziuk, Strinic, Giuliano, Konoplyanka, Cheberyachko, Rotan (c), Zozulya, Kalinic, Kravchenko
Subs: Shelikhov, Douglas, Fedetskiy, Kobakhidze, Kankava, Seleznyov, and Matheus
Final Score: Basel 1893 2-0 Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk
Stocker 23′, Streller 67′
AC Sparta Praha vs. Chelsea
Sparta Praha were not at all scared to go against the Champions of Europe. They played very well as expected in front of their home crowd, and gave Chelsea a very hard time. It was an 82nd-minute goal by Chelsea substitute Oscar that saved the day for the West London club. Statistic-wise, Chelsea were the better side, having had better chances and having threatened more. Chelsea had a total of 18 attempts whereas Sparta had 11. Only two yellow cards were issued during this match between the two teams; each team picking up only one. No players were sent off during this game.
Vitezslav Lavicka and Rafael Benitez lined up the following squads:
Sparta Praha Starting XI:
Vaclik, Svejdik, Hybs, Zapotocny, Krejci, Matejovsky (c), Holek, Vacha, V. Kadlec, Lafata, Husbauer
Subs: Cech, Vidlicka, Polom, Janos, Kweuke, Bednar, and Pamic
Chelsea Starting XI:
Cech, Ivanovic, Cahill, Azpilicueta, Bertrand, Ramires, Lampard (c), Hazard, Mata, Marin, Torres
Subs: Turnbull, Cole, Ferreira, Terry, Ake, Oscar, and Benayoun
Final Score: AC Sparta Praha 0-1 Chelsea
Oscar 82′
Written by Ange Marline
