Basel 1 - Inter 1 (Champions League 3rd qualifying round)
FC Basel gave FC Internazionale a real test but were held in Switzerland in the first leg of their Champions League third qualifying round tie.
Buoyed by a vibrant home crowd, Swiss champions Basel took the early initiative with Argentinean attacking duo Christian Giménez and Julio Hernán Rossi dictating the flow of the game. Inter defended well though and after they had weathered the early storm, they started to string some passes of their own together and it was the away side who struck first.
With 19 minutes gone, Adriano powered past two Basel defenders and shot passed the onrushing goalkeeper Pascal Zuberbühler, with his ball nestling in the roof of the net. Adriano had only recently rejoined the squad after the recent death of his father but with Christian Vieri and Obafemi Martins both ruled out with injury, Inter were forced to pair Adriano with Alvaro Recoba.
The Swiss side were undaunted by the Serie A side though, and struck back five minutes later. Mario Cantaluppi took the Inter defence by surprise by lobbing a free-kick towards the first post where it was met by Rossi who controlled the ball and tossed it into the danger area with a smart overhead kick and Benjamin Huggel made no mistakes, heading in from close range.
Inter responded immediately and Dejan Stankovic was unlucky to see his powerful long-range effort rebound off the woodwork. As the game opened up, Basel could have scored again when Huggel's right-foot volley from the penalty spot flashed narrowly wide.
It was Inter, however, who had the best opportunity to add to the scoreline before the break. With Adriano once again bearing down on goal, Zuberbühler rushed out but could only parry the ball into the path of Zé Maria who hit the bar from close range.
Basel began the second half as they did the first and Francesco Toldo was soon forced into action, first saving a lob from outside the penalty box by Mattias Emilio Delgado and then a shot from Rossi.
With the Serie A not starting for another month and the Swiss season already approaching its second month, Inter tired towards the end but Basel failed to take advantage, with Huggel coming closest on 78 minutes when the Italian side were saved by the post after the 27-year-old had unleashed a low drive from the edge of the area.
Inter nearly grabbed a winner with the game entering the last ten minutes when Zé Maria curled a free kick passed Zuberbühler before Basel captain Murat Yakin came to the rescue with a goal-line clearance to keep the scores level for the return in Milan on 24 August.
sources: uefa.com (text by Paolo Menicucci), inter.it.
