Basel cruise to Swiss title
Sunday, May 2, 2004
Article summary
FC Basel 1893 made sure of their tenth Swiss league title with four games still to play by beating FC Thun 2-0.
Article body
Goals from Australian midfield player Scott Chipperfield and defender Philipp Degen allowed FC Basel 1893 to collect their tenth Swiss Football League title on Sunday following a 2-0 defeat of FC Thun.
Unassailable lead
With four games of the season to go, Basel made the championship run-in a formality by moving an unassailable 13 points clear at the top of the standings. Chipperfield gave his team the lead early on and Degen doubled the advantage in the 23rd minute.
Champions League qualifying
Their title success means Basel with enter the UEFA Champions League in the third qualifying round in August. BSC Young Boys secured second position and a place in the second qualifying round 24 hours earlier thanks to a 1-0 defeat of FC Aarau.
Only two losses
Basel have lost only twice this term, winning 24 out of 32 games. Christian Gross's team also overcame the mid-season departures of Hakan Yakin and Marco Streller to VfB Stuttgart to seal their third championship in three years.
