Lucrative Champions League beckons for Basel
FC Basel are on course for the lucrative stage of the European Champions League after a 0-0 draw away to Vitória Guimarães of Portugal.
The top Swiss football club, which has already survived the two previous rounds, needs to win the return match at home in two weeks to qualify for the group stage of the competition.
Basel had very few chances to score a goal but had a solid defence and benefited from two controversial refereeing decisions which denied Guimarães two penalties.
The previous Swiss club to go through to the group stage of the Champions League were FC Thun three years ago.
Basel qualified in 2002 when they played the heavyweights of European football including Manchester United and Juventus.
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