Basel hosted Schalke 04 in Group E of the Champions League looking to add to the three points claimed at Stamford Bridge a fortnight ago.
However, they were disappointing throughout as both sides had few chances in an opening 45 minutes that remained goalless.
In the second period Schalke were well on top and took the deserved win through a fine strike from Julian Draxler.
Read how the action unfolded below with our live text commentary.
Hello everyone. It's matchday two in the Champions League and here at St Jakob-Park we have the two sides who were victorious two weeks ago. Basel take on Schalke.
The hosts produced the shock of the round last time as they came from behind to beat Chelsea at Stamford Bridge. They were quite brilliant in the second half and showed that they will not be a pushover for any side. They play at home tonight against Schalke.
Kevin-Prince Boateng scored the second in Schalke's 3-0 win over Steaua in their opening game. He has been quite brilliant since joining them in the summer window and will be a key player for them tonight with Klaas-Jan Huntelaar still out.
Schalke, since the win over the Romanian side two weeks ago, have got two without a victory in the Bundesliga. They were hammered by Bayern Munich in the wake of their win and were pegged back from 3-1 up to draw 3-3 away to Hoffenheim last weekend. That should give their Swiss opponents much encouragement.
The German side, however, are strong away in Europe in recent history. Of their last 11, Schalke have lost just one - two wins and two draws last season.
So who's playing tonight? Well, here comes the team news...
BASEL XI: Sommer; Ivanov, Voser, Schar, Safari; Stocker, Frei, Diaz; Salah, Xhaka, Streller
SCHALKE XI: Hildebrand; Uchida, Howedes, Santana, Aogo; Neustadter, Hoger; Farfan, Meyer, Draxler; Boateng
Boateng, then, starts up front again after his impressive showing last time out. Despite their dreadful showing in defence, it's just one change at the back by Jens Keller - Joel Matip is dropped for Felipe Santana. Christian Clemens and Jermaine Jones also miss out, with Roman Neustadter and Julian Draxler back in.
Basel drew 2-2 with Sion at the weekend. Fabian Schar was taken off in that game but it's an encouraging sign for them that he is fit to start tonight. Geoffrey Serey Die and Arlind Ajeti, however, do not return to the lineup.
Of course, there are six other games happening tonight including one result. Zenit St Petersburg played out a 0-0 draw with Austria Vienna earlier this evening. While we're on the other games, here's a collage of the players in action tonight from our Instagram. Please do check it out.
I will keep you updated with the score in the other Group E game tonight, which is Steaua against Chelsea. If you want to see our updates from that (as well as this, though!) then the link is right here.
There are a good few dangermen for both teams. Fabian Frei so often does it in Europe and Marco Streller up front is a real handful. For Schalke, having Draxler back will be a huge boost as he's got the pace to frighten any defence.
With slightly over 10 minutes to play, now's a good time to look at the pre-match odds. It's fairly even, although the German side are slight favourites. The best you'll get for them is about 8/5 while the hosts can be backed at 5/2. The draw is 9/5.
PREDICTION: It's the part of the evening I hate. Where I get to be completely wrong about the outcome. Even though the bookies think it will be too tight, I see this Schalke side being too strong. I think Draxler and Boateng will score in a 2-0 win. Incidentally a Schalke 2-0 can be had at around 14/1...
Five minutes from kickoff then. A reminder of tonight's fixtures. As well as this we have Steaua vs. Chelsea, Arsenal vs. Napoli, Celtic vs. Barcelona, Porto vs. Atletico, Ajax vs. Milan and Dortmund vs. Marseille. All are covered live right here on SM.
KICKOFF: We're underway here for what will hopefully be a good clash.
It hasn't been the best quality start. Basel are trying to play most of the football and Schalke are sitting back looking for the ball over the top. With their midfield, I'm not sure that's the right thing to do.
This is weird. There are some men hanging from a sign in the ground! They've parachuted or abseiled down or something and the game's suspended while they get help.
It looks like some kind of protest. I can't quite read what's on the massive yellow sign the men in boiler suits have put up. The game is still stopped - how have they been able to secretly get a 100-foot across banner on the inside of the stadium? Absolutely mad.
I think it was a Greenpeace protest, but what I don't know is how they got up there with all that equipment. Anyway, they've gone and we're back underway. That will add five minutes of stoppage time straight away.
CHANCE Boateng has to score! A clearance from Schar goes up into the air and Boateng has a clear chance with a left-footed volley, but he goes for placement and drags it wide. He wasn't too far out and should have done better.
The atmosphere has taken a hit following that early Greenpeace protest. By the way, it was aimed at Schalke's sponsor Gazprom, telling them: "Don't foul the arctic."
That is an atrocious pass from Safari, who passes straight to Boateng. From it Schalke break and first Meyer's shot is blocked before Draxler slashes an effort from outside the box well over. Schalke are on top.
Basel are looking a bit more comfortable on the ball now, but it's Schalke with the vast majority of the attacking intent. That said, it really does lack quality.
Here's the best image I have found of said banner, on Twitter:
#rotblaulive pic.twitter.com/JpgCwHYLFg — Michel Gysin (@MichelGysin) October 1, 2013
Back on the pitch, Draxler continues to work hard and is just offside from Hoger's pass down the left. He kept the ball in well and looked to get into the box but play was pulled back. Boateng is then brought down about 25 yards out by two players, but I think the touch was from Schar.
Surprisingly, the statistics show that Basel have seen 55% of the ball. I assume that is down to the first 10-15 minutes, in which the Swiss had a lot of the ball. Schalke have certainly been the only dangerous team.
It won't be long now until Schalke have the possession stat in their favour too. Basel are sitting so deep it's as if they are the away team. That said, Stocker heads to Streller, who is offside as he turns and shoots.
Schalke have conceded seven in their last two games, so it's a real shame that Basel don't feel that they can attack them. Safari at least is trying to get down the field from left-back, but his effort is not being matched at the moment.
YELLOW CARD: First booking of the game goes to Dennis Aogo. Salah gets by him but is tugged back despite Aogo having teammates covering. Silly foul.
YELLOW CARD: What a terrible free kick. It's drilled low and straight at the two men in the wall. It comes back over to Frei, who is flagged for offside despite being on. Farfan then chops down Diaz and goes into the book.
It is 1-0 to Chelsea in the other game in Group E. Ramires scored in the 19th minute and there has not been much further action.
That could have been a free kick at one end as Salah is brought down, before Xhaka gives on away at the other after bringing down Boateng.
CHANCE: Neustadter comes really close! He meets the free kick and Sommer seems to be stuck in the turf as it spins agonisingly wide of the goal. The keeper was beaten if it was on target.
SCHALKE SUB: Tough for the visitors as Farfan is coming off with what looks like a groin injury. Adam Szalai comes on for him, which will see Boateng drop back slightly and Farfan probably come across to the right.
There will be five minutes of time added on for that Greenpeace protest.
UPDATE: It's now 2-0 to Chelsea just before the break as Daniel Georgievski scores a comedy own goal to surely wrap up the points for the Premier League side.
CLOSE! Hildebrand is beaten, but Streller's header from a right-wing cross from Voser is inches wide of the post! That's the closest we've come.
HALF-TIME: Basel 0-0 Schalke
Goalless at half time is just about right, as well. I only hope that we see more attacking intent in the second half. Particularly from the hosts, but neither team has been impressive. Schalke have shaded it, but the chance just now was the best of the game.
The statistics do not make good reading, but my do they sum up the game so far. At least in terms of shots. Basel have had thre with one on target, while Schalke have had four with the same amount on goal. Basel have had 55% of the ball, but really have done nothing with it.
Aside from Salah, who has been a handful, and Safari, who has always been an option overlapping down the left, Basel have simply underperformed. The game started with the visitors sitting deep, but the half ended in the opposite way - at some times there was not one Basel player in the Schalke half.
The players are back on the pitch. I cannot see any changes yet, but I'll let you know.
KICKOFF: The second-half is back underway. Will this be better? Please.
No. There have been lots of misplaced passes already, including one from Boateng, who was given the ball and then passed it away immediately. Salah again is lively down the right but a home shirt cannot get on his cross.
Basel at least are showing more intent going forward. That's not to say their quality has returned, but they are looking to score now. Neustadter played over the top for Uchida, but the Japanese right-back cannot keep it in play and it goes for a goal kick.
OFF THE BAR! And before that a really good chance! Draxler spins delightfully on the left and crosses. It's hooked back across goal by Szalai and is partially cleared to Neustadter, who hits a volley and crashes the bar. What a strike!
GOAL! Basel 0-1 Schalke (Julian Draxler)
Schalke are well on top now. A poor cross from Meyer goes all the way across to Boateng, whose shot is deflected behind for a corner. It should never have reached him, though. From it, another poor clearance comes out as far as Draxler, who has no-one closing him down. He takes it on the bounce and bends it away from Sommer into the far corner. What a strike.
Dreadful defending from Safari, who clearly obstructs Uchida as he broke through down the right. The result is a very dangerous free kick that Aogo steps over.
Suddenly Schalke are looking vervy at the back. Voser skins two and finds Xhaka to his right. His ball in bobbles about a bit and is partially cleared, but Stocker slashes his effort from range over.
UPDATE: In the other game in the group, Ramires has wrapped up the points for Chelsea. They are now 3-0 up and Steaua are done for.
BASEL SUB: Giovanni Sio is on for Xhaka in the hosts' first change.
YELLOW CARD: I really can't see the hosts getting back in this and fully expect Schalke to get another to wrap this up. Their pace is now very dangerous, although the hosts double up on Draxler and break through Sio. The new man is then brought down by Hoger, who took that booking for the team.
There's still no real urgency from the hosts. Schalke are getting a little bit late with their tackles, as Szalai brings down Salah, but that's commitment that the home fans would like to see from their players I reckon.
Strong appeals for handball in the box against Neustadter as Salah's cross was slightly miscontrolled by him. It hit his stomach I think but would have been a very harsh decision against him even if it had hit his arm.
Aogo is living dangerously here as he goes through Salah from behind. That really should be a second yellow and he could well be off. Nothing given, however, as Schar strikes from range but it goes just over. Decent effort.
Slightly nervy moment at the back from Schalke. Hoger does well to win a tackle but the ball goes back and nearly into the path of Sio. Hildebrand is off his line quickly, however, to clear. Finally Basel are having possession high up the pitch. Can they work a chance?
SAVE: Sio tests Hildebrand with a first-time effort on his left foot, but the keeper is able to push it wide comfortably.
SCHALKE SUB: Sead Kolasinac comes on for Aogo, who has been a walking red card for a while now. On the pitch Basel just overwork a chance as Streller's final pass in the box goes for a goal kick.
Sio should be booked for catching the new man Kolasinac very late indeed. It's a little snippy out on the pitch right now and Sio got away with that one.
Basel are back to long ball stuff at the moment. Streller is trying his best to get on the end of them, but he is being isolated just now. Schalke are still playing on the break, but the Swiss side's defence has improved right now. But then AIRSHOT! as Sommer tries to clear but it bobbles over his foot and just wide.
More Basel subs are warming up, but I think they'll be out of luck here. They have precious little time to make an impact when they do eventually come on.
SUBS: Philipp Degen is on for Frei and Emilio for Safari, while for the visitors Hoogland is on for Meyer.
CLOSE: Draxler tries a thousand or so stepovers to cut into the box, but his effort goes over the bar. He thinks it's deflected, but no corner.
FULL-TIME: Basel 0-1 Schalke
So there we have it. Basel offered very little indeed and in the end Schalke took a deserved win. They were not at their best, but the clean sheet is encouraging for a side that has conceded four and three respectively in their last two Bundesliga games.
Written by
Matt Domm
Matt Domm
