Frei helps Basel wrap up Swiss title
Wednesday, May 25, 2011
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FC Basel 1893 have taken the Swiss title with a 3-0 win against FC Luzern, much to the delight of coach Thorsten Fink, who said: "I hardly slept last night and now we are champions."
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FC Basel 1893 have taken their 14th Swiss league title, with an early Alexander Frei goal propelling them to a comfortable 3-0 win against FC Luzern in the final game of the season.
A crowd of 38,500 at St. Jakob-Park watched as Basel denied FC Zürich the chance to snatch the title from under their noses. Frei's 27th league goal of the campaign kicked off proceedings on eight minutes, and Xherdan Shaqiri doubled their lead with a low strike just before half-time. Jacques Zoua made it 3-0 in the 55th minute, ensuring Zürich's 1-0 defeat of FC Thun was to no avail.
"I hardly slept last night and now we are champions," said Basel coach Thorsten Fink. "We deserved to win the title, but FC Zürich had a fantastic season as well.
"This is the first time Basel have become champions while also playing in the Champions League. That's testament to the character of this team and gives us hope for the upcoming UEFA Champions League season."
