AS Roma defeat FC Basel in Champions League
The footballers of Rome defeated Basel 3-2 on Wednesday evening to rise to second place after their Group E match played in the northern Swiss city.
Menez’s well-placed shot in the 16th minute and Francesco Totti’s 25th-minute penalty helped the Italian side avenge a 3-1 home loss against the Swiss team two weeks ago.
Basel forward Alex Frei scored from a close-range header in the 69th minute, and Marco Streller shot against a post five minutes later.
Roma substitute Leandro Greco struck in the 76th, then a shot from Basel’s teenager Xherdan Shaqiri in the 83rd minute ensured a tense finish.
Basel trainer Thorsten Fink could find few faults with his team and admitted that Roma’s display showed “tremendous quality”.
“We started well but were not focused for one second and conceded a goal – that’s how it goes in the Champions League,” he commented.
Basel finished with ten men when Valentin Stocker fouled Totti in stoppage time and was shown a second yellow card.
Germany’s Bayern München lead Group E with 12 points followed by AS Roma on six, with Cluj of Romania and Basel each with three points.
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