Ice cold reception for Grindavik as Basel toast 3-0 victory

Basel's Jean-Michel Tchouga (left, down) heads for the goal as Grindavik's Oli Floventsson (left) tries to intercept Keystone

Grindavik of Iceland have suffered a heavy 3-0 defeat away to Basel on the first leg of the Intertoto Cup second round.

Nearly 7000 spectators packed into Basel’s Parc St-Jacques stadium to see the home team whitewash their opponents in a match which looked like being one-sided from the fourth minute of the first half, when Felix Magro struck the ball into the back of the net.

But Magro’s team mates were not content to keep a narrow lead over the Icelandic opposition.

The second goal of the night came just 14 minutes later, when Jean-Michel Tchouga slammed the ball into the goal with a superb overhead kick from seven metres to make the half-time score 2-0.

If victory had seemed secure by the time the teams emerged from their dressing rooms at the start of the second half, Basel were taking no chances, and a third goal from Hervé Tum in the 60th minute sealed Grindavik’s fate.

The return match takes place in Iceland on July 8th, after which the two sets of scores are added together to determine the winner.

In the other Swiss Intertoto Cup tie of the night, FC Lausanne packed up and headed over the border to face Austrian club Sturm Graz.

The Austrians, who took part in the UEFA Champions League last season, had been expected to provide a tough test for Lausanne, but both teams seemed evenly matched during the first 45 minutes of play.

But the team from canton Vaud took charge once the second half got underway, and were rewarded for their persistence with a goal courtesy of Masudi in the 64th minute.

Invigorated by their success in the Schwarzenegger Stadium, Lausanne’s Chaveriat and Isaïs both looked like they might add a couple more goals to the tally by the end of the night, but in the end the Swiss had to be content with a 1-0 victory.

The Intertoto Cup consists of five rounds, after which the three surviving teams qualify for the first round of the UEFA Cup.

swissinfo with agencies