User:Huligan0/1985–86 FC Basel season

The Fussball Club Basel 1893 1985–86 season was their 92nd season since their foundation on 15 November 1893. It was the clubs 40th consecutive season in the top flight of Swiss football since their promotion in the 1945–46 season. FC Basel played their home games in the St. Jakob Stadium. Urs Gribi was the clubs chairman for the third consecutive year.

Overview
Helmut Benthaus returned as first team manager, after his successful three year term with VfB Stuttgart in which they won the Bundesliga in the 1983–84 season. He took over from caretaker manager Emil Müller.

Basel played in the 1985–86 Nationalliga A. They ended the season in tenth position, 14 points behind BSC Young Boys who became that years champions. In their 30 league championship matches Basel won ten games, drew ten and also lost ten, which meant that they obtained 30 points. They scored 44 and conceeding 40 goals. Erni Maissen was the teams top league goal scorer with 14 goals.

Basel entered the Swiss Cup in the round of 64 with an away game against lower classed Concordia Basel. The game was played in the St. Jakob Stadium, in which Concordia had home team status, in front of 1,800 spectators and Basel won 9–1. They continued to the round of 32 in which they had a home game against FC Vernier, which was won 6–0. In the round of 16 they had a home game against Lausanne Sports, which ended in a 4–1 victory. The quarterfinal was played as visitors to lower classed FC Lengnau and with a 6–0 victory, Basel advanced to the semifinal. The semi final was played at home in front of 12,000 spectators against Servette on 15 April 1986 and Servette took an early three goal lead. A hat trick form Gerhard Strack in the last 22 minutes of regular time meant that the match had to go into overtime. But with a penalty goal against them in the 4 minute of the extra time meant that Basel did not reach the final.

Sources and references

 * Rotblau: Jahrbuch Saison 2015/2016. Publisher: FC Basel Marketing AG. ISBN 978-3-7245-2050-4
 * 1985–86 at RSSSF