SOCCER / Uefa Cup quarter-final first leg / FC Basel 2-0 Middlesborough: Middlesbrough have put four past Manchester United and three past Chelsea at the Riverside this season and if they are to visit Bucharest in the semi-final of this competition then Steve McClaren's side will have to produce similar goalscoring when FC Basel go to Teesside for the second leg next Thursday.
In the 50th match of Boro's season two goals from Matias Delgado and David Degen in the last three minutes of the first half put Christian Gross's fluent team in control of the tie.
That was the worst outcome on a night of ugly clashes on and off the pitch. Emmanuel Pogatetz, bloodied against Bolton on Sunday, left the pitch on a stretcher after another head injury but Uefa will be more interested in some vicious crowd trouble at half-time in the Middlesbrough corner of the stadium. The response from riot police was belated.
Uefa will also surely be asking questions about an offensive and provocative banner unfurled by Basel fans behind their goal before kick-off.
McClaren, however, will be focusing on some slack defending and after a buoyant beginning, Middlesbrough's lack of midfield creativity. But there are certain to be answers demanded of him as to why Yakubu Aiyegbeni, Boro's top scorer, was again left on the bench.
Missing captain Gareth Southgate - as well as the suspended midfielders George Boateng and Lee Cattermole - McClaren had decisions to make about his line-up. Chris Riggott was back after missing the 4-3 victory over Bolton last Sunday but it was Emmanuel Pogatetz, not Ugo Ehiogu, alongside him. Ehiogu had played an unfortunate part in each of Bolton's goals.
Yakubu may have scored 19 goals so far this season but when he said on Wednesday that Boro have unmatched strength in depth up front, Yakubu was stating the case for Mark Viduka and Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink.
Both started and were prominent in a bright opening few minutes from Boro. Hasselbaink had the night's first shot after eight minutes.
The Dutchman was also responsible for a fierce free-kick some 15 minutes later that flew inches wide of Pascal Zuberbuhler's left upright, but though both efforts showed Middlesbrough's promise, Basel were doing plenty of attacking of their own.
Gross's side clearly felt that Franck Queudrue at left-back was a weak link and they continually sought out the talented Degen on their right. Good opportunities followed for Mladen Petric, Eduardo and Mile Sterjovski but Degen then spoiled some of the neutral's appreciation for his work with a shocking dive in the penalty area. The Italian referee was quick with his yellow card but it was a tense moment for Boro.
A well-worked Basel free-kick on 25 minutes ended up with Boris Smiljanic smacking a tasty shot. Luckily for Mark Schwarzer it was straight at him, but the half-hour mark passed with Boro just as threatening. Stewart Downinggave a glimpse of how effective they can be with a lovely trick that set up Gaizka Mendieta for a 25-yard drive that Zuberbuhler tipped over.
But then in the space of the last three minutes of the first half the match changed radically. First, collecting the ball on Basel left flank, Delgado cut inside Ray Parlour, moved forward and from 25 yards struck a shot that Schwarzer needed to be covering at his near post. However, when the ball hit the turf on the six-yard line it took a comical bounce upwards that left Schwarzer stranded and beaten.
That was bad enough but just seconds before half-time Basel won possession in the centre circle and Eduardo swept a reverse pass over Pogatetz and into the channel where Degen was lurking to dispatch a composed side-foot finish for the second.
FC BASEL: Zuberbuhler, Majstorovic, Berner, Smiljanic, Sterjovski (Chipperfield 64), Ba, Delgado, Degen, Zanni, Eduardo Da Silva, Petric (Ergic 85). Subs not used: Crayton, Quennoz, Rakitic, Kuzmanovic, Kulaksizoglu. Booked: Degen, Majstorovic. Goals: Delgado 43, Degen 45.
MIDDLESBROUGH: Schwarzer, Parnaby, Riggott, Pogatetz (Ehiogu 68), Queudrue, Mendieta (Rochemback 74), Parlour, Doriva, Downing, Hasselbaink (Yakubu 74), Viduka. Subs not used: Jones, Davies, Morrison, Taylor. Booked: Downing, Riggott.
Referee: Domenico Messina (Italy).
