Manchester United crashed out of the Champions League after a shock defeat at Basel.
The Reds only needed a point to progress from Group C, but goals from Marco Streller and Alexander Frei put Basel through despite Phil Jones' late consolation goal.
It is the first time United have failed to make it out of their Champions League group since the 2005/2006 season. United's misery was compounded by a serious-looking knee injury sustained by Nemanja Vidic.
Embarrassing
From the greatest and most glamorous club stage to Thursday nights on Channel 5 – collapses do not come more dramatic and embarrassing than this.
It was unthinkable back in sunny August when the draw was made in Monte Carlo that, come December, we could be facing bust for United.
It was a dream of a group and could not have been much better hand-picked by Sir Alex Ferguson himself.
But form at Old Trafford conspired to turn it into a scrap for survival and a mission in Basel that proved too much for a side who’ve lost their early season swagger and confidence.
Who would have even thought in their worst nightmares that when Group C started in September, a United side who’d just stuck eight past Arsenal and five past Bolton in the two matches before facing Benfica, that they’d suffer this humiliation?
From ambitions of Munich next May the Reds are now having to scale down those lofty dreams to a return to Bucharest for the Europa League final at the stadium where they beat Otelul Galati.
But even before they can consider a Euro night in Romania, United now have to battle to save a season that is threatening to die on its feet.
The Reds have to wake up and smell the coffee or face a season without silverware.
United fans have enjoyed mercilessly ribbing Liverpool and City about those Europa League nights and, four months ago, when the Reds were pulled out in Group C they could never have imagined that banter could threaten to come back and bite them.
It has to be said that critics and many fans alike have been in need of some convincing and it all came home to roost in Basel.
It cannot have helped United in the mind games at the outset that the Swiss side were wearing a Barcelona kit!
If the memories and visual distractions were not enough, it didn’t help United’s cause when Chris Smalling was laid out in a head clash with Nemanja Vidic in the lead up to Basel’s ninth minute opener.
The pair had combined to clear the original danger but Smalling was out of the equation clutching his head when Shaqiri’s drilled cross came back via the route the Reds defender would certainly have been blocking. David de Gea stuck out a foot to divert it perfectly for Marco Streller to hammer home.
Basel now had the passport to the next phase in their hands and the Reds were facing an obstacle as daunting as the Swiss Alps.
They were nervous and numb but when they finally got a whiff of smelling salts in their nostrils the Reds suggested they could get the point they were now so desperately chasing.
Nani was back in form and was even drawing gasps of admiration from the locals.
He set up a glorious chance in the 30th minute that you suspect Rooney would have stuck away back in August and September when he could do nothing wrong.
But he appeared to arrive too early on the far post for the chance and could only steer it sideways.
Just as United were piling up the pressure and confidence, they were knocked back by an injury to Nemanja Vidic when he clutched his knee and waved frantically for assistance after a tackle on Streller.
After efforts from Rooney and Nani came close, United must have feared that fate was stacked against them and they were never going to score when Basel defender Marcus Steinhofer, struck the bar on the hour while attempting to clear.
United were now fraught rather than measured in their pursuit of one of those once famous rescue acts.
The tension and torture looked over with six minutes to go when Alex Frei met Shaqiri’s cross at the far post with a stooping header as Smalling stood and watched.
But Jones headed in a rebound – just – after Kiko Macheda somehow contrived to hit the bar in the 89th minute.
To a man in the St Jakob Stadium the Swiss stood up and bit their nails before United were finally put out of their misery.
What is your verdict on the action? Have your say.
Basel 2 Manchester United 1 - Stuart Mathieson's verdict
December 07, 2011
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(1) no value in the market.
(2)my team is good enough and i cant find any players to improve this team.
(3) we have closed the gap on barcelona.
(4)rooney should take 50% pay cut.
(5) park&giggs should be awarded contract extension.
We are closing on Barcelona right?
Who should be our rubber dingy man?
I hate to say we deserved to lose. It has been a night of embarrassment. A night of being the laughing stock of the nation. Ever since Quiroz left we have become tactically inferior.
In fact with the millstone of Glazer debt around our necks we are in a downward spiral of decline that the Glazers are just not resourced to stop as revenues reduce preventing investment in the 'product' thus making us an even more attraction to the world wide glory hunters who are so vital to our financial success.
Without question we owe SAF big time because of the single minded rescue of a club in disarray that he achieved on his arrival, the chance he gave to the class of '92 and the forever famous trebble. But, just as with Sir Matt of cherished memory, he stayed in control after he should have quit while he was ahead. They all do it, men, whether politicians or managers, they begin believing their own publicity and cannot do without the drug of power. It does not happen overnight, but the strength required in running the arguably biggest job in football drains, gradually, with more and more poor decisions matched with increasing denial. As for who is a better manager now, well look at those rising, not declining managers surviving on a fraction of the money that SAF has always enjoyed. Look at Wenger and the others that have got off their arm chairs to recruit emerging African talent for a fraction of what we then pay for the wrong ones.
Well T&C and Alias lets see you put your spin on that one.
We have been embarrassed and outplayed by City, Crystal Palace, Benfica, Basel and Newcastle all at home. We have played utter dross and struggled to beat Swansea, Everton and Sunderland away from home. We have now gone out of the Champions League in the group stages. We are now in the Europa League, Thursday night's channel 5. BEST PERIOD IN OUR HISTORY!!!!!!! Time to change the record and admit you have been talking rubbish for a long time. Anyone else notice we started the game with 5 defenders, 4 wingers and 1 striker? Strongest squad we have ever had too?!!!!
No Mancs Land, not really a great time to be a United fan - Who to blame.. THE GLAZERS MUST GO!
Only a Glazer paid lackey could argue there is no scope for improvement in this squad.
This is fergie and felans fault time for a change as Roy keane said we got what we deserve fergie needs to go this is his team his fault giggs is an embarrassment
Enough is enough
hmmmmmmmmmmm.....................................................:-)
Before all of the idiots start bleeding about wanting SAF out – remember the success we have had since the last thing this happened 2005/06.
Yes it is disappointing and should not happen to a club of our size but unfortunately these things happen in football. We were complacent in the teams that we put out in the home games.
You same people would have called for Sir Alex to go then and look at the success that he has brought us since that crash out in the group stages.
No need for reinforcements...
This is bad, bad, bad!
No way we saw this coming.
Cheering City's exit out of a tough group is one thing,
United just got their rumps handed to them by the Swiss.
And finished in 3rd place in arguably the weakest group of the lot.
bad, bad, bad!!!
SAF to be SACKED!!!!! Poor team selection again to be blamed. Giggs and Jones in the mid-field??? Any idiot knows you can't play Giggs for 90mins. The biggest idiot of them all so far this season is senile Fergie!!! Get rid of him. Now!!!!!!
Hate to say I told you so.
A terrible midfield, policies of not replacing departing or ageing players with genuine quality and settling for average (sometimes way below average) have come home to roost.
Lets wait for T&C and Alias to come along talking up the glory of the Europa League.
At least City went down fighting.
Our squad is now in a competition it deserves to be in, because it damn sure doesn't belong with Europes Elite.
Garbage! Channel 5 football here we come! SAF needs to admit we aint good enough and our bench aint as good as it used to be!
YCNMIU
Get used to ordinary results from an ordinary group of players. The big name is not enough.
WE WOULD NEVER HAVE WON THE CHAMPIONS LEAGUE ANYWAY WITH THIS TEAM.
We have 2 2nd places in 3 years. We don't need another one.
This is where we stand tall. Let Danny, "manuexpert" and Fergiehasntaclue have their rants. (BOOOOORING)
In the end there are decissions to make. For Fergie. This is his last big test: Who should stay and who should go?
Danny: Don't reply, I know what you will say, It's too obvious.
Poor performance and very disappointing result...hard to believe we couldn't qualify from this group. The squad simply aren't good enough at the moment and if this result doesn't convince Sir Alex we need to strenghten then nothing will...void of ideas and quality in the final third and another defensive mistake for their second goal.
Gutted!!!
Will definitely need to cash in on the likes of Vidic now to pay the Glazers their next set of "management fees".
Sad day for sure. I need a drink, maybe a double.
Crap I'm still at work.....
r7
Surprise surprise Barcelona, City Crystal Palace and Basel Fergie is going down hill faster than Eddy the eagle and is taking United down with him. Its time for the Glazers to give him the Golden Boot. He will never leave on a voluntary basis. He has let world class players leave and never replaced them wasted money on rubbish and players he had never even seen.
This will hit the Glazers in the pocket they must wonder how Rooney can Justify his huge wages. He has always been hit and miss and never shown the consistency of a world class player. The media have bulled him up so much nobody on that field is capable of changing the game Giggs my GOD how desperate are we Evans did his normal goal assist.
LEASE ON THE UNITED COUNCIL HOUSE STADIUM IS 250 YEARS, MANCHESTER (07/12/2011 at 17:26)
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Come on Bayern, put this little club in their place. L.U.H.C.........
First Barcelona, then Manchester City, then Crystal Palace and now The Boys of Basle. Your club is in demise Man U out of The Champions League and soon out of The Euro League already out of The Carling Cup. Malcolm will not be a very happy man tonight, particularly as Man U are to float on The Singapore Stock Exchange what is the stock worth now?
The Worlds Biggest Club ????.....,Fergie you said OURS was the Group of Death !!!!!...And Rooney wants out !.MCFC THE CITY IS OURS !.
Anyone see a pattern here another team in red n blue well dome the swiss Eagles. Red n blue army!
Come and join us.
Clueless Fergie with his clueless team selection. Who are you going to blame now? The senior players? The junior players? The referee? The kit man? The fans? Go look at yourself in the mirror. You've lost the plot since the first champion's league final loss against Barca. Do the right thing old man and step down. You are clueless with tactics. Admit it you stubborn Scot!!