User:Huligan0/2005–06 FC Basel season

The 2005–06 season was Fussball Club Basel 1893's 113th in existence and the club's 12th consecutive season in the top flight of Swiss football. FC Basel started the season of with various warm-up matches. These included teams from the Swiss lower league as well as teams from France, Croatia and the Ukraine. The FC Basel aims for the 2005–06 season were to retain the league title, win the cup and as well as to qualify for the UEFA Champions League group stage.

Overview
As Swiss champions, Basel entered the UEFA Champions League third qualifying round against German Bundesliga club Werder Bremen.

Basel's biggest signings of the 2005–06 season were defenders Daniel Majstorović and Kōji Nakata who were brought in to replace Patrick Müller, who was set to sign for Olympique Lyonnais, and the retiring Murat Yakın. Forward Eduardo was signed on contract following his successful loan spell but Argentinian goalscorers Christian Giménez and Julio Hernán Rossi left the club.

Domestic League
Basel's priority aim for the season was to win the league championship for the third time in a row. Despite the 3-0 defeat by FC Thun in the second round, Basel started well into the season and led the championship right until the last day of the league campaign. On 26 February 2006, FC Basel broke their own club record of 52 unbeaten league games in the St. Jakob Park. The new record is 59. But the strand ended on the final day of the season with a last-minute goal by Iulian Filipescu of FC Zürich, knocking Basel out of contention and thus giving Zürich their first national championship since 1980–81. Basel missed thier championship aim.

A 60th straight home league match undefeated would have made Basel champions for third time in a row. The final score was 1-2 in favour of Zürich. The last minute loss of the Championship and the subsequent riots, the so called Basel Hooligan Incident, meant that the club had to carry consequences. As well as a huge fine, the first two home games of the 2006–07 Swiss Super League season were held completely without fans, as so called "ghost matches". The following three matches were held with just a part of the stadium capacity, without the fans from the "Muttenzer Kurve" (the eastern fan block).

Domestic Cup
Basel's clear aim for the Swiss Cup was to win it. In the early rounds of the 2005–06 Swiss Cup Basel were draw with away games against lower league teams. However, they were defeated in the third round in the away tie against FC Zürich. Basel missed thier aim.

Europe
Because Basel entered the Champions League in the third qualifying round their aim was to reach the group stage. However they were drawn against Werder Bremen and lost 4-2 on aggregate and they subsequently dropped into the UEFA Cup where they met NK Široki Brijeg of Bosnia and Herzegovina in the First Round. Basel sealed a 6–0 aggregate win. The clubs aim was therefore modified to remaining in the competition over the winter break. They and were drawn into Group E alongside RC Strasbourg, A.S. Roma, Red Star Belgrade and Tromsø I.L.. With somewhat luck they qualified for the Round of 32. Here they defeated AS Monaco and in the next round beat RC Strasbourg to qualify for the Quarter-Finals. They were drawn against Middlesbrough and won the first leg at home 2-0 and travelled to the Riverside Stadium. Here despite an early lead, Middlesbrough fought back to win the match 4–1 and the tie 4–3. But the aim for this campaign was achieved and very successfully and Matías Emilio Delgado ended the 2005–06 UEFA Cup season as the contests top goal scorer.

Swiss Super League 2006–07
For more information, see Swiss Super League 2005–06

Swiss Cup
For more information, see Swiss Cup

UEFA Champions League
For more information, see 2005–06 UEFA Champions League

Third qualifying round
Werder Bremen won 4–2 on aggregate.

UEFA Cup
For more information, see 2005–06 UEFA Cup

First round
All times CET

Basel won 6-0 on aggregate.

Round of 32
Basel won 2–1 on aggregate.

Round of 16
Basel won 4-2 on aggregate.

Quarter-finals
Middlesbrough won 4-3 on aggregate.