live commententary : Basel vs Real Madrid

0Basel
1Real Madrid
November 26, 2014 • 19:45 • St. Jakob-Park, Basel
Referee: M. Mažić
Cristiano Ronaldo 35'
Basel: T. Vaclík, F. Schär, B. Safari, P. Degen, M. Suchý, S. Gashi, L. Zuffi, Mohamed El Nenny, F. Frei, D. González, B. Embolo (G. Vailati, W. Samuel, D. Callà, M. Diaz, Y. Kakitani, M. Delgado, Ahmed Hamoudi).

Real Madrid: K. Navas, Fábio Coentrão, Sergio Ramos, R. Varane, Arbeloa, Isco, T. Kroos, J. Rodríguez, G. Bale, Cristiano Ronaldo, K. Benzema (Casillas, Marcelo, Nacho, Lucas Torró, Illarramendi, Medrán, J. Hernández).
89'
Substitution James Rodríguez Marcelo
88'
Second change of the match from Real Madrid and it is an understandably defensive alteration from Ancelotti. James Rodriguez comes off and he'll be replaced by Marcelo as Los Blancos look to see out the last few minutes her.
87'
Substitution Luca Zuffi Yoichiro Kakitani
86'
Last throw of the dice from Sousa and it sees Yoichiro Katitani, who is a Japanese international strike, come on for Zuffi. The substitute has just a few minutes to prove himself the hero here!
84'
Just over five minutes remaining of normal time here and Basel are running out of time to claim a point out of this. If the results in the group stay the same, the Swiss side will travel to Anfield to battle it out with Liverpool for a place in the last-16.
83'
Substitution Fabian Frei Marcelo Díaz
82'
Hamoudiiiii! Unlucky! The Basel substitute drives forward and plays a fortuitous and accidental one-two with Sergio Ramos before having a crack at goal from 25 yards. Well-struck, but it was always going wide.
80'
Yellow Card Fabian Schaer
80'
That is a pretty horrendous challenge from Schar. Ronaldo gallops down the left wing and initially seems to skip past the Basel defender, who then takes out the Madrid man with a slide tackle, catching him right on the ankle. A deserved booking is the result.
78'
Well that is a bit of a sitter from Ronaldo! In a wonderfully sweeping move from Madrid, Coentrao gets down the left before passing in to Bale, who in turn threads a pass through to Los Blancos' top goalscorer this season. He doesn't add another to his tally though as he slides a strike off the outside of the post from 12 yards!
76'
Substitution Philipp Degen Ahmed Hamoudi
76'
First change of the match from Paulo Sousa and Basel. Degen comes off and coming on is Ahmed Hamoudi, who is a centre forward. Really positive change from the home side as they look to claim something out of this!
74'
BALE HITS THE BAR! The Welshman receives the ball in the left channel and bursts into the box before unleashing a driven strike at goal! It had tremendous power behind it and almost shatters the woodwork! Madrid come close to doubling their lead!
72'
Isco gets into a more advanced position now that Illarramendi is present behind him and pops up just outside the box to slide a pass through for Ronaldo. The Portuguese finds himself up against two defenders so does well to earn the corner kick, taking any pressure off his side at the back in the process.
71'
Substitution Karim Benzema Asier Illarramendi
70'
First substitution of the match from Ancelotti and it is an interesting one. Benzema, who did brilliantly to set up the only goal of the match, is replaced by Asier Illarramendi. That is a striker coming off for a holding midfielder, so perhaps the Italian coach is wary of the threat coming from Basel.
68'
A good period for Basel at the moment as they aim to snatch an equaliser as quickly as possible. Madrid are just camped in their own half as Frei in particular pulls the strings for the home side in central areas. With Ronaldo, Bale, and Benzema up top for Madrid though, they are always a massive threat on the counter.
66'
SAAAAAAAAAAVE BY KEYLOR NAVAS! Embolo gets in behind the Madrid defence after powering past Varane and takes a touch beyond the Madrid keeper before getting a shot away. However, the Costa Rican somehow manages to get down at his front post to make the block!
64'
We are just about midway through the second half now and there is just a little lull in the tempo of the match at the moment. Madrid seem content with just passing the ball around at exhibition pace but Basel may just be conserving their energy for a high intensity last 20 minutes.
62'
Gonzalez is back on the pitch and looks to have recovered from that knock as he collects the ball in the middle and goes on a pacey dribble down the right-hand side. He ends up earning a throw in for his trouble and Basel move their defensive line up the park slightly.
60'
Despite that tackle being not too bad from Coentrao, Gonzalez looks to be in trouble here as he appeared to volley the bottom of the Madrid man's boot. He is currently off receiving treatment but looks in quite a bit of pain!
58'
Coentrao will need to be careful here. The former Benfica man, who was booked just a few minutes ago, comes through the back of Gonzalez to break up a potential Basel counterattack. Wasn't a particularly bad tackle, but he won't get too many more of those.
56'
That's desperately poor from Gashi. The Albania international once again gets into a great position inside the box and initially takes a good touch but then slices his strike horribly, horribly wide. He had time to pick his spot so that was a real chance passed up!
54'
Elneny bursts out of midfield and looks to exchange a neat one-two with Gonzalez, who is positioned on the edge of the box. The return pass from the Paraguayan is an attempted flick through, but Ramos is on hand to make the important interception.
52'
Yellow Card Marek Suchy
52'
Important save by Vaclik! Ronaldo attempts the free kick from around 30 yards and the set-piece goes up and over the wall at pace, looking destined to nestle in the bottom corner. The Basel keeper keeps an eye on it though and palms away to the right.
51'
Pacey counter attack from Madrid! In signature Los Blancos fashion they win the ball in the middle of the park and look to take advantage by driving forward quickly. James leads the charge and gets down the wing before whipping a cross into the box, but Ronaldo can't burst a gut enough to get on the end of it! Basel let off the hook!
49'
The latest player to go into the book is Coentrao and it is a rather deserved one for the Portugal international who rakes his studs down the inner thigh of Embolo as the Basel striker turned near the halfway line. Looked a real sore one!
48'
Yellow Card Fabio Coentrao
47'
Gonzalez opens up his stride through the middle and skips beyond a couple of challenges before eventually going down under the tackle of Ramos. Looked a definite foul but the referee waves play on, much to the Paraguayan's frustration.
46'
We are back under way in St Jakob-Park! Let's see if Basel can give their fans something to cheer about!
Half time in St Jakob-Park. Real Madrid head into the break with a narrow one goal lead thanks to a close range Cristiano Ronaldo strike after some great work by Karim Benzema. Basel have certainly played their part though and looked particularly strong towards the end of the half, but they will need to work Keylor Navas a lot more if they are to get anything out of this. A really interesting second half in store!
44'
Yellow Card Philipp Degen
44'
Bale has been out of sorts so far tonight. Ronaldo initially does really well to win the ball in the middle of the park whilst surrounded by three opponents, but when the Welshman receives the ball he takes a heavy touch which allows Basel to pounce.
43'
Yellow Card Sergio Ramos
42'
It has been a pretty strong reaction from the home side to going a goal down. They've just been given a kick up the backside and it has made them increase the tempo of their passing in the final third. Let's see if they can grab an equaliser in the few minutes before the break.
40'
What an incredible miss by Gonzalez! Gashi gets into a great position in the left channel inside the Madrid box and smashes a teasing cross-come shot towards the back post. The Paraguayan meets it but sends an attempt over from six yards with the goal gaping!
38'
What are Madrid playing at here! Ancelotti's men have three attempts to clear the ball out of the penalty box and the worst comes from Ramos, whose header only puts the ball back into the danger area. He is let off the hook though as Varane takes initiative by booting up the park.
36'
That is a real kick in the teeth for Basel! The Swiss side were just beginning to look more of a threat in the final third and looked to have Madrid on the ropes for a couple of minutes with a small period of possession, but they have been undone by Los Blancos!
35'
Assist Karim Benzema
35'
Goal C. Ronaldo
GOOOOOOAAAAAAAAAAAAALLLLLLL FOR REAL MADRID! LOS BLANCOS TAKE THE LEAD! Benzema does brilliant to burst beyond Degen and Schar near the touchline before reversing a perfect pass inside to Ronaldo, who bundles home from a few yards out! One-nil!
33'
Frei collects the ball 30 yards out and looked for the run in behind of Gashi with a lovely pass over the top of the Madrid defence. The latter gathers at the byline and knocks inside to Gonzalez who turns sharply and dinks a cross into the box. Varane clears but the Basel captain recovers and the hosts retain possession again.
31'
The Basel fans are airing their grievances at the ref after he fails to award a free kick for two tackles on Zuffi and then Gonzalez in the middle of the park. In fairness to the official he probably got both decisions correct, but he is coming in for some slight abuse from the Basel faithful at the moment.
29'
Elneny sees some space in front of him in midfield and decides to take a couple of strides forward. He ends up getting a rush of blood to the head though as he attempts a spectacular 25-yard strike towards goal which goes way over.
27'
Embolo is probably lucky to escape a yellow card. The Basel striker actually initially wins the ball on Coentrao, but does so after having his two feet in the air and his studs raised. The ref lets him off with a warning, but he probably won't get another one of those!
25'
Bale gets into the centre forward position and receives a lashed pass to feet from Isco. The Welshman attempts to turn towards goal but has his pocket picked by Schar, who plays back to Vaclik to clear. The Madrid man should have been sharper there.
23'
There's a murmuring shout for a hand ball from the Basel crowd. A corner kick is whipped in for the hosts and it cannons off Ronaldo at the front post, with the ball appearing to come off the arm. However, the Portuguese had his arm tucked into his chest so would have been very, very harsh. The ref takes the same view and waves play on.
21'
Coentrao gallops down the left wing and gets into an advanced position in the Basel box before attempting to whip a cross in. The pass looked to be destined to find Ronaldo at the back post, but a deflection on the way through means the home side can clear easily.
19'
Ronaldo, who is now featuring on the left wing after moving across from the right, takes a couple of strides beyond the defender before lashing a strike at goal. It was a speculative effort and Vaclik saves comfortably. Probably just the Madrid man testing his shooting boots for the first time tonight!
17'
Coentrao, Bale, and James look to link up down the left wing as the Colombian eventually receives the ball before attempting an eye-eye-the-needle pass through the middle. Degen is on hand to put out for a throw in though.
16'
Almost brilliant from Embolo! The Switzerland Under 21 international collects the ball on the edge of the box and cheekily nutmegs Sergio Ramos but just can't find space to get the shot away, and Madrid clear!
15'
James takes a free kick from the left-hand side and Bale gets in front of his marker to glance a header towards the top corner. It is a fairly standard safe for Vaclik though as the Basel keeper claims the ball out of the air. A very solid start from the man between the sticks for the home side.
13'
Isco collects the ball in midfield and evades the challenge of Frei with a delightful touch. The Spaniard then finds some space and looks for the run in behind the defence of Ronaldo with a dinked pass, but Safari does well to intercept and Madrid get the throw in.
11'
Madrid have did well to just curb that little ascendancy of the hosts as Kroos and Isco move the game up the park into the final third. Lost of short, stabbing passes from Los Blancos, but no real penetration in central areas as of yet.
9'
Lovely stuff from Basel here. The hosts enjoy a small period of sustained possession just outside the Madrid box but the attack ends when Degen just doesn't hold his run for long enough and is subsequently flagged as offside. Promising from the Swiss side!
7'
Ronaldo, who has been deployed down the right-hand side so far, looks to take on Safari with some clever footwork before flicking the ball into the path of Arbeloa. The full back is forced back inside though and Madrid recycle possession in the middle of the park.
5'
We are just five minutes into the match here but as probably expected, it is Real Madrid who are asserting their dominance early on. No Luka Modric of course for Los Blancos, but Basel will do well to get the ball off the midfield duo of Isco and Kroos tonight.
3'
Good goalkeeping by Vaclik. The Basel keeper comes off his line to commandingly claim the resulting free kick from the Ronaldo foul. That should take the pressure right off his defence for a few moments.
2'
Ronaldo looks to get beyond Degen down the left wing but ends up being accidentally caught in the face by the former Liverpool defender. Not much in it but Real Madrid get the free kick on the flank.
1'
We are under way at St Jakob-Park!
The teams have made their way to the pitch and we are ready for the Champions League theme!
Despite having already qualified, most of Madrid's big guns feature, with a few swaps coming in central areas. Casillas, Carvajal, Pepe, and Marcelo drop out with Navas, Arbeloa, Varane, and Coentrao starting.
Basel make three changes to their starting XI tonight. Delgado, Kakitani, and Diaz are replaced by Schar, Elneny, and Gonzalez.
Real Madrid (4-3-3): Navas; Arbeloa, Varane, Sergio Ramos, Coentrao; Kroos, Isco, James; Bale, Ronaldo, Benzema.
Basel (4-5-1): Vaclik; Degen, Schar, Suchy, Safari; Gonzalez, Elneny, Frei, Zuffi, Gashi; Embolo.
TEAM NEWS...
The Swiss outfit have been impressive at home so far in the competition. They have already recorded a 4-0 victory over Ludogorets and a potentially vital narrow 1-0 win over Liverpool, with Marco Streller on target on that occasion. Speaking of Streller, the Basel club captain this week penned a new contract to extend his stay contract to 2016. That news should certainly buoy the home side heading into this clash!
Basel are currently placed second in the group with six points taken from four matches. Heading into the match tonight, they will not take solace from the fact that in that opening match in Group B, they were thumped 5-1 at Santiago Bernabeu by the European Champions. If they fail to win tonight and Liverpool defeat Ludogorets in the other clash tonight, it will be a straight-shoot out in the last fixture against the English outfit for the second qualifying place.
A man who is not likely to take the foot off the gas tonight is Cristiano Ronaldo. Last night, the Portuguese saw his great rival, Lionel Messi, become the competition's all-time record goalscorer with 74 goals. However, the Ballon d'Or winner is just four behind, so he will be wanting to find the net as much as he can.
Despite qualification secure and first position just about sewn up, Madrid do have another big incentive to keep on winning. They are just one match away from equalling their current record for most consecutive wins, which currently stands at 15. Miguel Munoz and Jose Mourinho currently tie that record, and Ancelotti can join them with a victory this evening.
So I'm sure you'll agree, not the most likely scenario!
Carlo Ancelotti's outfit head into the match tonight with first place in the group all but guaranteed. The only way that Los Blancos can drop off the lead is if the Swiss side manage to pull off what would be an astounding four goal turnover win tonight, and they lose their next game against Ludogorets with Basel defeating Liverpool.
I'm Martin Macdonald, and I'll be taking you through the action!
Good evening football fans! Welcome to LIVE coverage of the Champions League Group B clash between Basel and Real Madrid from St Jakob-Park!