2004–05 FC Basel season

The Swiss Football Association (ASF-SFV) had changed the format of the domestic league the previous season and this format called Swiss Super League remains unaltered this season. There were ten teams competing in the top tier 2004–05 Swiss Super League. The teams played a double round-robin in the first half of the season and then another double round-robin in the second half. There were three points for a victory and one each for a draw. The champions and runners-up would enter the qualifying rounds of the 2005–06 Champions League, the third placed team would enter the UEFA Cup second qualifying round. The bottom placed team would be relegated, the second last team would play a play-off against relegation.

Basel's priority aim for the season was to win the championship for the second time in a row. The season started somewhat difficult, of the first four home matches only two were won. Nevertheless, Basel moved to the top of the league table. During September the team lost two away games in a row, but despite this they led the league table by seven points by the winter break.

The league was originally contested by ten teams. On 4 February 2005 the parent company of Servette FC was declared bankrupt. As a consequence of the bankruptcy Servette FC had their license revoked. The eighteen results from the team's first half of the season remained in the league table. The club's second half matches were cancelled entirely and so the second half of the season was competed with only nine clubs.

Basel completed all the season's seventeen home ties undefeated, winning thirteen and drawing four. The highest home attendance being 31,383 in the 4–1 win against their title rivals Thun on 7 May 2005. Just four days later Basel secured the championship in their third last round of the season. At the end of the season they completed their championship aim, winning the title ten points clear of Thun, who were their closest rivals. Servette were subsequently demoted to the Second Tier. Schaffhausen played the play-off against relegation and were able to remain in the top flight.[1]

One of the season's highlights for the team, was the 8–1 home win on 12 September against Grasshoppers in which Giménez scored four goals. Matías Delgado, Mladen Petrić, Djamel Mesbah and César Carignano each netted once.[2] On 20 April Giménez also scored for goals in the away game against Aarau as Basel won 5–0. He also managed at hat-trick on 4 May as Basel won 5–0 in the away game against Xamax. Giménez was the team's and the league's top goal scorer with 27 goals. Matías Delgado was the team's second top scorer with 11 league goals. César Carignano scored seven and Julio Hernán Rossi scored six.[3]

Basel entered the Swiss Cup in the first round and the team's clear aim for the Cup was to win it. Teams from Super League and Challenge League were seeded in this round. In a match, the home advantage was granted to the team from the lower league, if applicable.

FC Oberdorf (18 September 2004)

In the first round Basel were drawn against local amateur club FC Oberdorf, who at that time played in the fifth tier of Swiss football. The grounds that Oberdorf used at that time was an artificial turf field and on one side was a small grandstand with 100 covered seats and space for maximum 2,000 spectators. Because of the big fixture in the Cup temporary stands were built and the match was played in front of over 5,000 spectators. Head-coach Christian Gross left seven regular players out of the team and played with a B-team. Nevertheless, they took command of the game from the first whistle and Julio Hernán Rossi netted their first goal after three minutes. Rossi's next shot ten minutes later rebounded off the post and another ten minutes later he scored his second goal. Rossi remained lively and his next shot also hit the post. Basel let the amateurs play their game but after about an hour it was obvious that their strength decreased. Mile Sterjovski added a third goal on 70 minutes, Boris Smiljanić hit the post with a header and David Degen added another goal and the result was 4–0 for the visitors.[4]

FC Meyrin (24 October 2004)

In the second round the teams from Super League were seeded and could not play against each other. In a match, the home advantage was granted to the team from the lower league. Basel were drawn against second tier semi-professional team FC Meyrin. Their stadium Bois-Carré (Meyrin) was also small and so they also built temporary stands and the game was played in front of a record 3,148 spectators. Basel took command of the game from the first minutes and Julio Hernán Rossi was again in good form and his sprints into the free spaces were very quick. It was he who netted Basel's first goal after 15 minutes. Basel remained in control of the game, but it was the hosts who scored the equaliser after a counterattack just before the half time whistle. Basel tool control of the game again but the lower-tier team defended with everything they had. Christian Giménez was substituted in the 69th minute and just a seconds later he put the visitors into the lead again. Seven minutes later Giménez netted his second personal goal and the result was 3–1 for Basel.[5]

FC Thun (20 November 2004)

In the third round the ties were drawn, there was no seeding, everyone could meet everyone. The home advantage was granted to the team from the lower league, otherwise to the team that was drawn first. Basel were drawn away against Super League team Thun. Basel head-coach Christian Gross fielded his strongest team, however four players were injured and Benjamin Huggel was missing due to a suspension. The game between the two teams was at eye level, both teams created their chances. Mario Raimondi was able to put the hosts a goal up in the 57th minute, but the lively Julio Hernán Rossi equalised ten minutes later. The match went into extra time but no further goals were scored and a penalty shoot-out was held to make the decision. In the shoot-out Boris Smiljanić missed Basel's second penalty, then Mario Raimondi missed Thun's third and as Mile Sterjovski missed Basel's last spot-kick it was clear that Basel lost 4–3 on penalties.[6]

Conclusion

Thus Basel missed their aim of winning the Cup.[7] The Cup final was played on 16 May 2005 in which upper tier Zürich beat lower tier Luzern 3–1 to win the trophy.[8]

Because Basel entered the 2004–05 UEFA Champions League in the third qualifying round their aim was to reach the group stage. However, they were drawn against Internazionale.

Internazionale (11 August 2004)

The first leg was played in St. Jakob-Park and was arbitrated by English referee Graham Poll. Pushed on by the sold-out 30,000 spectator crowd the Swiss champions Basel took the early initiative and it was their Argentinian attacking duo Christian Giménez and Julio Hernán Rossi dictating the flow of the game from the very beginning. Inter defended well in the early stage and after they had withstood the early storm, they started to get their game together, stringing their passes together and it was the away side who made the first strike. In the 19th minute, Adriano powered past two Basel defenders and placed his shot low beyond the onrushing goalkeeper Pascal Zuberbühler. Basel were not shocked by this early strike against them, and countered this just six minutes later. Mario Cantaluppi surprised the Inter defence by lobbing a free-kick high to the near post, here it was controlled by Rossi who then, with a smart overhead kick, played it into the danger area. Benjamin Huggel was ready and headed in from close range. Inter reacted immediately, but Dejan Stanković's powerful long-range shot rebounded off the post. Then the game opened and Basel could have scored again as Huggel's right-footed volley from about 12 yards narrowly flashed wide. However, it was Inter who had the best opportunity before the break. Again, it was Adriano rushing towards goal, Zuberbühler rushed out against him but could only parry the ball straight into the path of Zé Maria, but his shot from close range hit the bar. Basel started into the second period as they had started in the first, pushing forwards with tempo. Francesco Toldo made to good saves, first parrying a long-range lob from Matías Delgado and then a hard hit shot from Rossi. The Italian championship had not yet started and the Swiss season had already been going for a month, therefore the Inter players were tired towards the end, however Basel failed to take advantage of this, Huggel coming closest in the 78th minute as he hit a low drive from the edge of the penalty area, but the visitors were saved by the post. The game ended with a 1–1 draw.[9]

Return match (25 August 2004)

In the second leg it was Inter who were quickly into play, with Álvaro Recoba forcing Basel goalkeeper Pascal Zuberbühler into a good save a few seconds after kick-off. Only a few seconds later the home crowd were able to celebrate as Adriano put Inter ahead with a low shot precise inside the far post after a pass from Dejan Stanković. Inter controlled the game in the early stages and scored their second goal after just 13 minutes. A superb shot from Stankovic, following a neat combination with Adriano gave the home team a two-goal advantage. Despite the two-goal lead, the home side refused to sit back and Zuberbühler had to make another good save after a long distance left-foot shot by Recoba. After 26 minutes, Inter goalie Francesco Toldo deflected a powerful free-kick from Basel captain Murat Yakin wide. Inter went close to scoring a third goal just minutes later as Stankovic shot wide from a good position after a combination between Zé Maria and Adriano on the right wing. Basel had another dangerous free-kick shortly before half-time, Mario Cantaluppi's kick was slightly wide. Basel fought themselves back into the game. Just four minutes into the second half as Austrainlien midfielder Mile Sterjovski, just inside the penalty area, controlled a cross from his left to dribble past Stankovic and score with an exact right-foot shot. However, the home team restored their two-goal lead only four minutes later as Adriano took on a ball from Stankovic outside the penalty area. He took a few paces forward and fired low, left footed, beyond keeper Zuberbühler. The home team secured their victory a few minutes later, this time Recoba's left footed shot dropped into the net. The Uruguayan forward controlled a long pass from Juan Sebastián Verón, he turned towards the Basel goal and shot from about 18 metres and the game ended for Basel with an undeserved high 1–4 defeat.[10]

Basel lost 5–2 on aggregate and subsequently dropped into the 2004–05 UEFA Cup.[11]

Basel's clear aim for this competition was to reach the group stage and to advance to the knock-out stage, which was to start after the winter break. In the first round Basel were drawn against the Russian side FC Terek Grozny.

Terek Grozny (16 September 2004)

The first leg of the tie against the Russian Cup holders was played in the Lokomotiv Stadium (Moscow) because of the political situation in Chechnya. Torrential rain before and during the game had made pitch soggy and tricky underfoot. In the early minutes the home defence had problems keeping the Basel forwards under control. The visitors started well and looked the most likely team to score in the early stages. After just four minutes Christian Giménez was unlucky not to score, his close-range header hit the post after Mile Sterjovski had nodded forward a right-wing cross from Julio Hernán Rossi. In the ninth minute Giménez again went close, but his header was held by Terek goalkeeper Volodymyr Savchenko at the second attempt. The home side came better into the game as the match progressed. With their only real chance of the first half they took the lead as a through-ball from Aleksandr Shmarko beat the Basel offside trap and Andrei Fedkov pushed the ball past keeper Pascal Zuberbühler in the 38th minute. Basel pressed consistently for an equaliser. Scott Chipperfield's corner from the left in the 57th minute was headed on by Rossi and Giménez was left unmarked to score with his knee from just three metres. Despite the fact that towards the end of the game it was the home team who more in control of the game and despite the slippy conditions, the two defences remained mainly on top and the game ended with this 1–1 draw.[12]

Return match (30 September 2004)

The second leg was played in St. Jakob-Park in front of 15,895 spectators. It was again Basel who started better into the game. Christian Giménez was again the most dangerous striker with two early chances. But it was Julio Hernán Rossi who opened the score in the 11th minute. Basel should have added to the score with the chances that they created, but as the match progressed the Terek midfield and defense became more hardy and Basel were lacking creative ideas, especially in the second period. In the 65th minute, therefore, Basel head-coach Christian Gross substituted Rossi out and brought in the more creative player Matías Delgado. This tactical move paid-off as in the 89th minute Delgado crossed from the left after a corner-kick and Brazilian right back Kléber nodded the ball home to give Basel a 2–0 win and a 3–1 on aggregate.[13]

In the group stage Basel faced considerably tougher opponents. Five teams were drawn into each of the eight groups and were to play a round robin, there were no return games. The top three teams in each group progressed to the Round of 32, to be joined by the eight third-place finishers from the Champions League group stage. Basel were drawn in to Group A together with Feyenoord Rotterdam, FC Schalke 04, Ferencvárosi TC and Heart of Midlothian.

Schalke 04 (21 October 2004)

On matchday one Basel played in the Arena AufSchalke in front of an attendance of 52,870 spectators in Gelsenkirchen against German team Schalke 04, who had won the Intertoto Cup in August. Basel captain Murat Yakin could not play due to back injuries and midfielder Ivan Ergic was also ruled out due to an injury. The Swiss Super League leaders started fast and confident into the game, pushing Schalke back with early attacks. But then the German side took control of the match. Midfielder Christian Poulsen won a loose ball and played a long ball to winger Levan Kobiashvili, who broke through the middle and shot powerfully passed Basel keeper Pascal Zuberbühler from outside the penalty after eight minutes. Schalke striker Gerald Asamoah was very lively and the visitors were forced to defend deep. Basel eventually fought back to claim the midfield with some quick and accurate passes and they created their best chance in the 36th minute. Julio Hernán Rossi's corner-kick from the left was met well by Benjamin Huggel who headed toward goal from close range, but keeper Frank Rost was able to push the ball away to safety. Following a poor start to the second half, Basel came back to life. First David Degen with a good break forced an excellent save from Rost, then after 57 minutes Christian Giménez' headed forced the goalkeeper to tip the ball over the bar, at full stretch. In the 82nd minute an impressive free-kick from substitute Matías Delgado, who curled his shot over the wall and left keeper Rost stranded at the wrong side of the goal. The 1–1 draw was the result.[14]

Heart of Midlothian (25 November 2004)

On matchday two (4 November) Basel had their rest-day and on matchday three they played at home in St. Jakob-Park in front of 21,650 spectators, with Kristinn Jakobsson (Iceland) as referee, against Hearts. Basel captain Murat Yakin could not play due to his sustaining back injuries, striker Mladen Petrić was out injured and midfielder Ivan Ergic was also ruled out ill. Hearts had lost their first two games in the group. Basel started well into the game and their striker Christian Giménez slashed a hard shot towards the far corner of the goal in the opening minutes, which needed a good save from keeper Craig Gordon. The young goalkeeper blocked the shot into the field, but Julio Hernán Rossi was not able to reach the rebound. Basel dominated the game, they restricted the visitors immensely and Hearts were only able to entered the Basel penalty area from set-pieces. Following a free-kick and a near miss from Michael Stewart, just minutes later Hearts took a surprise lead. A set-piece and Hearts surprisingly played the ball low, three quick passes, Dennis Wyness found room and the striker slotted the ball beyond goalkeeper Pascal Zuberbühler for the first goal of the game. The home team were now forced to be more committed with their attacks and they put Hearts under increased pressure, responding well to the conceded goal. Only some desperate last-ditch defending denied the hosts from obtaining their equaliser. Basel then started the second half as they had ended the first period, pressing forward. Basel's head-coach Christian Gross changed his attackers midway through the second half and his substitutions quickly paid out. César Carignano slotted home the equaliser. Basel pressed hard for the winning goal as the time ticked on. Hearts' last-gasp winner, in the 89th minute, was more a speculative attack and was made only to relieve the defensive pressure, but it paid off as Robbie Neilson pushed his shot under the body of goalie Zuberbühler with only seconds left on the clock, his first ever goal for the club. Basel versus Hearts 1–2 result.[15]

Ferencvárosi TC (1 December 2004)

Matchday four saw Basel play the away tie at the Stadium Puskás Ferenc with some 22,000 spectators against Ferencvárosi TC under referee Vitaliy Godulyan (Ukraine). Basel started, as ever, fast and dominant into the game, and because head-coach Christian Gross had lined up a three-man attack, this formation led to a number of early chances. In the 8th minute Julio Hernán Rossi fed Christian Giménez with a good pass, he crossed from the left, but striker César Carignano was unable to put the visitors ahead. Basel also had a height advantage at set-pieces and one minute later, Marco Zwyssig rose highest to head Sébastien Barberis' free-kick, but the effort went narrowly wide. On 19 minutes Boris Smiljanić also headed an effort just wide of Lajos Szűcs' left-hand post. Despite their early domination, Basel went behind three minutes later, Smiljanic fouled Aleksandar Bajevski in the box. Szabolcs Huszti's spot-kick was parried by Pascal Zuberbühler, but the keeper was unable to keep hold of the ball. Huszti reacted first, he headed the rebound across the goal and Dénes Rósa was able to head the ball into the net. Basel dominated the second half as well and goals from Rossi and Benjamin Huggel turned the match in Basel's favour. However, the Hungarian side failed to level things in the 86th minute with their second penalty, as keeper Szücs shot the ball wide. Basel beat Ferencváros 2–1 and moved up to third slot in the table.[16]

Feyenoord Rotterdam (16 December 2004)

The fifth and final matchday of the group stage was played at home in St. Jakob-Park in front of 25,660 spectators against Feyenoord. Again the early stages of the game were dominated by Basel, with Christian Giménez being extremely lively at the outset. In the third minute he rushed down the right wing to bring in a dangerous cross that flashed across the goal area. Then he switched over to the other wing four minutes later and combined with Julio Hernán Rossi, who in turn crossed to Mile Sterjovski and his header found the target, but was disallowed due to an offside position. Minutes later Giménez was again involved, speedily moving into space in the box, in a strong counterattack. He unleashed a fierce shot, but Patrick Mtiliga was able to stretch and block the ball. In the 18th minute a second disallowed goal, Giménez poking the ball in from close range but he was denied by the assistant's flag. Feyenoord threatened for the first time in the 25th minute, Salomon Kalou used his strength to overcome defensive-midfielder Benjamin Huggel, but hise his effort went wide. Feyenoord played better in the final stages of the first half, with good passes in midfield and some direct balls into the penalty area. However, Basel defended well and they still created the better chances, Rossi forced a good save from keeper Patrick Lodewijks, Scott Chipperfield headed a cross just wide of the post and Giménez tested the goalkeeper again with a powerful left-footed drive.

Basel came into the second half aiming to dominate possession and initially they did so. But Feyenoord showed their counterattacking potential with a long ball and Salomon Kalou's accurate shot, but home keeper Pascal Zuberbühler dived low to his left and pushed the ball around the post. After this, Giménez received a good pass from Carignano, but smashed his half-volley straight at keeper Lodewijks. In the 53rd minute these two strikers combined again for the game's decisive moment. Giménez lifted his cross over the defence, Carignano sprinted in at the far post and headed the all-important winning goal. Thereafter Basel concentrated on containing their opponents to protected their safe passage into the next round. This was successful and the final result was this one goal victory. The goal difference decided the positions in the table, because Feyenoord, Schalke and Basel finished level on seven points. But Basel qualified for the Round of 32.[17]

The final phase of the 2004–05 UEFA Cup began on 16 February 2005, and concluded with the final at the Estádio José Alvalade in Lisbon on 18 May 2005. The final phase involved the 24 teams that finished in the top three in each group in the group stage and the eight teams that finished in third place in the UEFA Champions League group stage. As third placed team in their group, Basel were qualified for the Round of 32 and here they were drawn against Lille OSC.

Lille OSC (17 February 2005)

The first leg was played in the St. Jakob-Park in front of 19,092 spectators. French team Lille earned themselves a valuable away draw in the snow that fell in Basel during the match, as a frustrating evening for the hosts ended with a goalless draw and this thanks to the heroic game of Lille's Senegalese goalkeeper Tony Sylva. The Swiss champions Basel, who returned for the first time to competitive football following their two-month domestic winter break, played strongly in the opening period, but they had nothing to show despite their early efforts. This was also because of the snow and soggy pitch, that slowed their game, to the advantage of the visitors and their goalkeeper. In the first few minutes, a few near misses brought the match to life and these could have provided at least a goal or two. Basel created two excellent chances in quick succession, Christian Giménez headed a ball towards goalie Sylva from close-range, the goalie held. Then Julio Hernán Rossi failed to score following a defensive mix-up, the goalie held. Lille responded and full-back Grégory Tafforeau hit a strong drive from the distance, but the ball flew passed the wrong side of the far post. Basel pressed forward in the second half as well, but keeper Sylva was in unbeatable form in the Lille goal. Basel became even stronger as the match progressed, Christian Gross' men definitely controlled the game in the second half, but they were denied on several occasions by Sylva. The 29-year-old Senegalese international frustrated the home side on numerous occasions and therefore the game ended with a goalless draw.[18]

Return match (24 February 2005)

The second leg was played a week later in Stadium Lille Métropole, which was the temporary home stadium of Lille OSC before the completion of the nearby Stade Pierre-Mauroy. Basel had played only one game after the winter break in the Swiss domestic league and they had lost this 3–1 against St. Gallen four days before this tie, but they started the game well. Lille had ended each of their last five games with a draw, three of these goalless and they looked nervous in the opening stages. However, goalkeeper Tony Sylva was rarely troubled. After somewhat more than half an hour Lille started to dominate possession, but lacked the finishing touch to show for some enterprising attacking play. Matt Moussilou in the 37th minute and a foul penalty converted by Milenko Ačimovič gave a comfortable 2–0 victory for the 2004 UEFA Intertoto Cup winners and let them advance to the next round and to set up an all-French tie with Auxerre in the Round of 16.[19]

Conclusion

Basel were defeated 2–0 on aggregate by Lille OSC. The club had hoped that they could have continued a round or perhaps two further, but despite being knocked out at this stage, the aim for their European campaign could be considered as achieved. CSKA Moscow won the 2004–05 UEFA Cup beating Sporting CP in the final.[20]

Chairman	Mr Werner Edelmann
Ground (capacity and dimensions)	St. Jakob-Park (33,433 / 120x80 m)

Source: Homepage FCB

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player 1 GK  SUI Pascal Zuberbühler 3 DF  SUI Samuele Preisig (on loan to Concordia Basel) 4 DF  SUI Alexandre Quennoz 5 DF  SUI Marco Zwyssig 6 MF  SUI Benjamin Huggel 7 FW  CRO Mladen Petrić 8 MF  AUS Mile Sterjovski 9 FW  ARG César Carignano 11 MF  AUS Scott Chipperfield 12 MF  SUI Sébastien Barberis 13 FW  ARG Christian Eduardo Giménez 14 MF  ALG Djamel Mesbah 15 DF  SUI Murat Yakin 16 DF  SUI Patrick Müller

No. Pos. Nation Player 17 MF  SUI Mario Cantaluppi 18 GK  SUI Eric Rapo 19 DF  BRA Kléber 20 MF  ARG Matías Emilio Delgado 21 MF  SUI David Degen 22 MF  SCG Ivan Ergić 23 DF  SUI Philipp Degen 24 DF  CMR Timothée Atouba 29 MF  BIH Damir Džombić 30 DF  SUI Boris Smiljanić 32 DF  SUI Reto Zanni 33 FW  ARG Julio Hernán Rossi 35 GK  AUT Thomas Mandl — MF  SUI Baykal Kulaksızoğlu

The Sempione Cup was a club football tournament played in summer at Sportanlage Moos, Balsthal, during the years 1987 to 2004.[32]

Basel v Dinamo Tbilisi

29 June 2004 Sempionecup Round 1	Basel	1 – 2	Dinamo Tbilisi	Sportanlage Moos, Balsthal
20:00	Petrić 67' (1:1)	Summary	26' Shashiashvili  33' Silagadze  45' Kashia 66' (0:1) Kvirkvelia 70' (1:2) Akhalaia  72' Akhalaia	Attendance: 1,500 Referee: Claudio Circhetta

Basel v Dinamo București

3 July 2004 Sempionecup Round 2	Basel	3 – 3	Dinamo București	Sportanlage Moos, Balsthal
19:00	Giménez 33' (1:1) Giménez 46' (2:1) Smiljanić 63' (3:1) D. Degen  65' Delgado  84'	Summary	11' Dănciulescu 66' (3:2) Niculescu  76' Ciubotariu  80' Dănciulescu 85' (3:3) Niculescu	Attendance: 1,900 Referee: Guido Wildhaber

The Uhrencup is a club football tournament, held annually in Grenchen.

Basel v 1. FC Kaiserslautern

7 July 2004 Uhrencup Round 1	Basel	0 – 3	1. FC Kaiserslautern	Stadion Brühl, Grenchen
20:00	Rossi  19'	Summary	35' (0:1) Amanatidis 51' (0:2) Amanatidis  65' Mikić 76' Teber	Attendance: 5,100 Referee:

Basel v Schalke 04

9 July 2004 Uhrencup Round 2	Basel	3 – 0	Schalke 04	Stadion Brühl, Grenchen
20:30	P. Degen  19' Giménez 33' Smiljanić 49' Delgado 55' Kléber  86'	Summary	20' Aílton  34' Asamoah  11'  83' Krstajić	Attendance: 8,123 Referee:

The Swiss Super League season was originally contested by ten teams.

Basel v Aarau

17 July 2004 Round 1	Basel	6 – 0	Aarau	St. Jakob-Park, Basel
19:30	Yakin 17' (pen. 1:0) Smiljanić 38' (2:0) Giménez 45' (3:0) Chipperfield  46' Cantaluppi 53' (pen. 4:0) Moretto 61' (o.g. 5:0) P. Degen  67' Chipperfield 74' (6:0)	Summary	25'  33' Christ  90' Tcheuchoua	Attendance: 24,430 Referee: Guido Wildhaber

Basel v Neuchâtel Xamax

23 July 2004 Round 2	Basel	1 – 1	Neuchâtel Xamax	St. Jakob-Park, Basel
19:30	Chipperfield  11' Smiljanić 21' (1:0)	Summary	28' Soufiani  49' Cordonnier  55' Sébastien Zambaz 80' (1:1) Margairaz	Attendance: 23,515 Referee: Urs Meier

Servette v Basel

30 July 2004 Round 3	Servette	1 – 2	Basel	La Praille, Lancy, Canton of Geneva,
20:00	Kader 41' (1:1) Alicarte  90'	Summary	8' (0:1) Chipperfield 42' (1:2) Delgado  44' D. Degen  89' Rossi  90' Huggel	Attendance: 12,300 Referee: Reto Rutz

Basel v Zürich

6 August 2004 Round 4	Basel	2 – 1	Zürich	St. Jakob-Park, Basel
19:30	Giménez 16' (1:0) Delgado 27' Chipperfield 48' (2:0) Cantaluppi  85'	Summary	43'Nef 75' (2:1) Petrosyan	Attendance: 27,835 Referee: Markus Nobs, (Wohlen)

Young Boys v Basel

15 August 2004 Round 5	Young Boys	1 – 1	Basel	Stadion Neufeld, Bern
16:15	Urdaneta  23' Chapuisat 23' (0:1) Rochat  60' Magnin  76'	Summary	26' Rossi  51' Huggel 48' (1:1) Carignano  68' P. Degen	Attendance: 10,000 Referee: René Rogalla

Basel v Schaffhausen

20 August 2004 Round 6	Basel	1 – 1	Schaffhausen	St. Jakob-Park, Basel
19:30	Cantaluppi  49' Giménez 66' (1:0)	Summary	41' Pesenti  65'Sereinig 75' (1:1) Bunjaku	Attendance: 23,590 Referee: Sascha Kever

St. Gallen v Basel

29 August 2004 Round 7	St. Gallen	0 – 1	Basel	Espenmoos, St. Gallen
16:15	Zellweger  39'	Summary	25' Yakin  36' Huggel 62' (0:1) Giménez  79' P. Degen	Attendance: 10,000 Referee: Jérôme Laperrière

Basel v Grasshoppers

12 September 2004 Round 8	Basel	8 – 1	Grasshoppers	St. Jakob-Park, Basel
16:15	Delgado 21' (1:0) Giménez 32' (2:0) Chipperfield  34' Petrić 36' (3:0) Giménez 42' (4:0) Giménez 45' (5:0) Giménez 57' (6:0) Mesbah 86' (7:1) Carignano 89' (8:1)	Summary	24' Jaggy 73' (6:1) Rogério  40'  87' Cabanas	Attendance: 27,816 Referee: Jérôme Laperrière

Thun v Basel

22 September 2004 Round 9	Thun	4 – 1	Basel	Stadion Lachen, Thun
19:30	Gerber 31' (1:1) Deumi  31' Gerber 46' (2:1) Cerrone  58' Raimondi 66' (3:1) Lustrinelli 87' (4:1)	Summary	23' (0:1) Petrić  80' P. Degen	Attendance: 9,000 Referee: Urs Meier

Aarau v Basel

25 September 2004 Round 10	Aarau	1 – 0	Basel	Stadion Brügglifeld, Aarau
19:30	Varela 6' (1:0)  68' Opango  70'	Summary	15' Degen  35' Kléber	Attendance: 7,200 Referee: Carlos Bertolini

Neuchâtel Xamax v Basel

3 October 2004 Round 11	Neuchâtel Xamax	1 – 2	Basel	Centre Sportif de la Charrière, La Chaux-de-Fonds
14:30	Oppliger  47' M'Futi 71' (1:2)	Summary	33' (0:1) Yakin 51' (0:2) Petrić  47' Smiljanić	Attendance: 9,100 Referee: Massimo Busacca

Basel v Servette

16 October 2004 Round 12	Basel	2 – 1	Servette	St. Jakob-Park, Basel
19:30	Giménez 40' (1:1) Petrić 59' (2:1)	Summary	16' (0:1) Joao Paolo  27' Joao Paolo	Attendance: 24,754 Referee: Philippe Leuba

Zürich v Basel

31 October 2004 Round 13	Zürich	0 – 0	Basel	Letzigrund, Zürich
16:15	Tararache  28' Petrosyan  90+1' Cesar  90+2'	Summary	60' Giménez  88' Chipperfield  90+2' Degen	Attendance: 19,200 (sold out) Referee: Wildhaber

Basel v Young Boys

7 November 2004 Round 14	Basel	2 – 1	Young Boys	St. Jakob-Park, Basel
16:00	Sterjovski 12' (1:0) Giménez 52' (pen. 2:1)	Summary	32' (1:1) Neri  27' Rochat  90+2' Friedli	Attendance: 26,860 Referee: Massimo Busacca

Schaffhausen v Basel

14 November 2004 Round 15	Schaffhausen	1 – 0	Basel	Stadion Breite, Schaffhausen
16:15	D. Degen 68' (o.g. 1:0) Bunjaku  69'	Summary	76' Smiljanić  87' Delgado  89' Rossi	Attendance: 7,250 Referee: Cyril Zimmermann

Basel v St. Gallen

28 November 2004 Round 16	Basel	1 – 0	St. Gallen	St. Jakob-Park, Basel
16:15	Carignano 22' (1:0)	Summary	6' Fábio  27' Obradović  46' Zellweger  55' Alex  57' Akwuegbu	Attendance: 20,397 Referee: Gerald Lehner, Austria

Grasshoppers v Basel

5 December 2004 Round 17	Grasshoppers	2 – 3	Basel	Hardturm, Zürich
16:15	Spycher  15' Muff 48' (1:3) Muff  50' Núñez 56' (2:3) Chihab  82' Cabanas  88'	Summary	16' (0:1) Chipperfield 20' (0:2) Giménez  39' P. Degen 41' (0:3) Huggel  42' Chipperfield  50' Zwyssig  53' Giménez  77' Kléber  85' Zuberbühler	Attendance: 13,200 Referee: Guido Wildhaber

Basel v Thun

11 December 2004 Round 18	Basel	3 – 3	Thun	St. Jakob-Park, Basel
19:30	Delgado 7' (1:1) Carignano 22' (2:1) Rossi 38' (3:1)	Summary	5' (0:1) Gerber  28' Cerrone  28' Deumi 62' (3:2) Aegerter 72' (3:3) Raimondi	Attendance: 23,677 Referee: Urs Meier

On 4 February 2005 the parent company of Servette FC was declared bankrupt. It had run debts of over 10 million Swiss francs, having not paid the players since the previous November, and consequently the club suffered an exodus of players looking for paying clubs. As a consequence of the bankruptcy Servette FC had their license revoked, the club's second half matches were entirely cancelled. The second half of the season was therefore competed with only nine clubs. These each played another double round-robin schedule. Each of the nine clubs had played 34 matches at the end of the season.

St. Gallen v Basel

20 February 2005 Round 19	St. Gallen	3 – 1	Basel	Espenmoos, St. Gallen
14:15	Hassli 19' (1:0) Zellweger  26' Montandon  41' Hassli 52' (2:0) Hassli  52' Imhof  56' Montandon 70' (3:1)	Summary	35' Huggel  53' Sterjovski 58' (2:1) Petrić	Attendance: 8,000 Referee: Bertolini

Basel v Grasshoppers

6 March 2005 Round 22	Basel	4 – 1	Grasshoppers	St. Jakob-Park, Basel
16:15	Quennoz  16' Carignano 26' (1:1) Chipperfield  51' Giménez 53' (pen. 2:1) Zwyssig 58' (3:1) Rossi 87' (4:1)	Summary	3' Seoane 24' (0:1)  56' Muff  51' Lichtsteiner  52' Stepanovs  63' Hleb	Attendance: 21,078 Referee: Massimo Busacca

Thun v Basel

13 March 2005 Round 23	Thun	3 – 0	Basel	Stadion Lachen, Thun
14:15	Gelson 18' (1:0) Cerrone  22' Lustrinelli 73' (2:0) Lustrinelli 80' (3:0)	Summary		Attendance: 4,750 Referee: Reto Rutz

Basel v Schaffhausen

16 March 2005 Round 24	Basel	4 – 3	Schaffhausen	St. Jakob-Park, Basel
19:30	Chipperfield 19' (1:0) Carignano 39' (2:0) Kléber 50' (3:0) Delgado 63' (4:2) Chipperfield  90'	Summary	40' Yasar 56' (3:2) Todisco  57' Sereinig 56' Rizzo  84' Todisco 90' (4:2) Todisco	Attendance: 19,212 Referee: René Rogalla

Zürich v Basel

20 March 2005 Round 25	Zürich	2 – 2	Basel	Letzigrund, Zürich
16:15	Margairaz 59' (1:0) Cesar 93' (pen. 2:2)	Summary	61' Kléber  65' Zwyssig 76' (1:1) Delgado  81' P. Degen 87' (1:2) Huggel  91' Sterjovski	Attendance: 13,200 Referee: Salm

Basel v Aarau

2 April 2005 Round 26	Basel	4 – 2	Aarau	St. Jakob-Park, Basel
19:30	Huggel 49' (1:2) Giménez 50' (2:2) Carignano 53' (3:2) Carignano  53' Zanni  60' Zanni 62' (4:2)	Summary	22' (0:1) Menezes 39' (0:2) Giallanza	Attendance: 24,393 Referee: Carlo Bertolini

Young Boys v Basel

10 April 2005 Round 27	Young Boys	2 – 5	Basel	Stadion Neufeld, Bern
16:15	Müller 50' (o.g. 1:3) Chapuisat 79' (pen. 2:4) de Napoli  74'	Summary	11' Kléber 13' (0:1) Zanni 30' (0:2) Delgado 41' (0:3) Delgado  42' Huggel  46' P. Degen  69'Smiljanić 74' (1:4) Giménez 88' (2:5) D. Degen  90' Zwyssig	Attendance: 10,550 Referee: Guido Wildhaber
Note: Minute of mourning for the late ex-FCB president and national team delegate Harry Thommen.

Basel v Young Boys

17 April 2005 Round 28	Basel	1 – 1	Young Boys	St. Jakob-Park, Basel
16:00	Zwyssig  35' Zanni  41' Delgado 63' (1:1)	Summary	2' (0:1) Steinsson  29' Carreño  44' Urdaneta  90' Knez	Attendance: 25,961 Referee: Philippe Leuba

Aarau v Basel

20 April 2005 Round 29	Aarau	0 – 5	Basel	Stadion Brügglifeld, Aarau
19:30	Stöckli  15' Simo  17' Motetto  24' Schenker  37'	Summary	14' (0:1) Smiljanić 16' (0:2) Giménez 33' (0:3) Giménez  61' Chipperfield 77' (0:4) Giménez 90' (0:5) Giménez	Attendance: 5,700 Referee: Sascha Kever

Basel v Zürich

24 April 2005 Round 30	Basel	3 – 2	Zürich	St. Jakob-Park, Basel
16:15	Rossi  43' Barberis  45' Giménez 55' (1:2) Giménez 50' (2:2) Giménez 59′ Smiljanić 75' (2:3)	Summary	3' (0:1) Margairaz 30' (0:2) Gygax  38' Di Jorio  56' Taini  61' Džemaili	Attendance: 25,768 Referee: Massimo Busacca

Schaffhausen v Basel

1 May 2005 Round 31	Schaffhausen	0 – 2	Basel	Stadion Breite, Schaffhausen
14:30	Yasar  45'	Summary	33' Rossi 45' (0:1) Rossi  45' Kléber 53' (0:2) Giménez  56' P. Degen	Attendance: 5,200 Referee: Bruno Grossen

Neuchâtel Xamax v Basel

4 May 2005 Round 21	Neuchâtel Xamax	0 – 4	Basel	Centre Sportif de la Charrière, La Chaux-de-Fonds
18:45		Summary	2' (0:1) Delgado 14' (0:2) Giménez 21' (0:3) Giménez 39' (0:4) Giménez	Attendance: 4,500 Referee: Markus Nobs, (Wohlen)

Basel v Thun

7 May 2005 Round 32	Basel	4 – 1	Thun	St. Jakob-Park, Basel
18:45	Rossi 41' (pen. 1:0) Delgado 56' (2:0) Rossi 80' (pen. 3:1) Zanni  90' Smiljanić 90+3' (4:1)	Summary	26' Cerrone  31' Gerber  31' Ojong 72' (2:1) Renggli  75' Miličević  75' Ferreira	Attendance: 31,383 Referee: Nicole Petignat

Basel v St. Gallen

11 May 2005 Round 33	Basel	3 – 1	St. Gallen	St. Jakob-Park, Basel
19:30	Giménez 28' (1:1) P. Degen  63' Giménez 86' (2:1) Giménez  88' Rossi 90' (3:1)	Summary	13' (0:1) Alex  57' Pavlović  85' Fábio	Attendance: 25,099 Referee: Salm

Grasshoppers v Basel

21 May 2005 Round 35	Grasshoppers	4 – 1	Basel	Hardturm, Zürich
17:30	Rogério 7' (1:0) Cabanas 29' (2:0) Chihab 42' (3:0) Touré 86' (4:1) Mitreski  90+2'	Summary	72' (3:1) Delgado  77' Zanni	Attendance: 13,200 Referee: Guido Wildhaber

Basel v Neuchâtel Xamax

28 May 2005 Round 36	Basel	2 – 0	Neuchâtel Xamax	St. Jakob-Park, Basel
20:15	Yakin 40' (1:0) Ergić 77' (2:0)	Summary		Attendance: 28,012 Referee: Massimo Busacca