Basel victory deprives St Gallen of lead needed to take championship

Basel have defeated Sankt Gallen in the tenth round of the National League A football championship. The victory is an upset for the league leaders, who now need to win two matches to clinch the championship.

The Basel side may have had a slight psychological edge when they came out onto the field against Sankt Gallen. The team from eastern Switzerland have had an unbroken record of victories since last October, when they last met Basel – and were thrashed 4:1.

Friday night’s match was not quite as bad, ending in a 3:1 victory for Basel. But it raises the possibility that Basel could just squeeze past the league leaders to take this season’s NLA title.

The first goal came early in the match, when Tholot scored for Basel in the seventh minute. Ten minutes later, Sankt Gallen’s star striker, Amoah, equalised with his 24 goal of the season.

It took Basel just four more minutes to score the clincher, when Savic broke Sankt Gallen’s defences. The humiliation was completed in the second half, with Tholot making it 3:1.

The result brings Basel’s overall point total to 38, leaving them a seemingly insurmountable 10 points behind Sankt Gallen.

To overtake the leaders, Basel needs to win four more matches. This would take them to a full 50 points. If Sankt Gallen manage only a single victory from the final four games, they’ll end the season on 49 points, giving Basel the title.

The odds are against it. Sankt Gallen are hungry for victory – the last time they won the title was in 1904 – and their future opponents are unlikely to be able to hold out against the striking skills of Amoah.

swissinfo with agencies