Another difficult evening for Yverdon Sport. In front of their home crowd, the Nord-Vaudois lost 1-4 against FC Basel of Xherdan Shaqiri.
Full stadium at kick-off of this match between Yverdon and Basel. The atmosphere in the supporters’ clubs was in full swing, even if the Rhinelanders, much more numerous, somewhat drowned out the Yverdon chants.
On the field, however, the meeting took a while to be even a little exciting. The first notable event being the expulsion of Anthony Sauthier in the 19th minute. The Yverdon resident, in his race, crushed Bénie Traoré’s calf. The referee who first showed the yellow card revised his judgment after viewing the VAR images. It’s harsh, but it’s fair. Too bad because the midfielder was celebrating his 100th in the colors of YS.
At 10 against 11, the task was only more complicated for Yverdon. Basel took the opportunity to definitely gain the upper hand. The 0-0 still held up a little, notably thanks to Bernardoni’s saves and not precise enough shooting angles from Fabio Celestini’s men.
William Le Pogam also offered Yverdon the greatest chance in the 31st minute. The midfielder sent Marley Aké’s cross straight towards the goal. But his inside foot strike was not powerful enough.
It was therefore FCB who opened the scoring. The action started from Xherdan Shaqiri who sent the ball on the right to Joe Mendes. He put it back in the center on Dominik Schmid who took his chance and shot despite the traffic between him and the cage. In goal, Paul Bernardoni, although well placed but probably hidden, watched the ball pass right next to him without moving (32nd).
It was also to see Xherdan Shaqiri that some of the 4,250 spectators came to the Municpal Stadium. It was the second time that the ex-international played a match in northern Vaud. The first time was for a Swiss Cup match… in 2010! ©KEYSTONE/Jean-Christophe Bott
The Basel team continued to put pressure on and came very close to 0-2 with this header from Kevin Carlos which finished right next to the goal. At the other end of the field, the Rhineland defense was not in the least impressed by the few attacks from North Vaud.
Alessandro Mangiarratti’s men returned to the locker room in the worst situation: conceding 0-2 in added time. Bernardoni had blocked an excellent ball. Possession, however, remained with Basel and he could do nothing to stop Traoré’s volley shot (45+1).
Evening to forget
Yverdon then collapsed in the second half. Basel continued to increase the score thanks to Leon Avdullahu. A shot similar to the first goal. The ball went through everything in front of the middle and ended up in the back of the net. Bernardoni, once again, was a spectator of the goal. He certainly didn’t see the shot go off.
The final blow was delivered by former Yverdon resident Kevin Carlos. A goal that could perhaps have been avoided since it came from a very bad back pass from Aké, intercepted by a Basel player. It was child’s play for Carlos to put the ball in the back of the net.
Mauro Rodrigues nevertheless saved the honor at the very end of the match with a nice strike from the 16m line to bring his team to 1-4 (89th).
Keep your spirits up
Yverdon Sport thus signs its third consecutive defeat. After the match, it was William Le Pogam who came to confront the journalists. Visibly moved, the North Vaudois captain returned to this complicated evening.
This second season in the Super League generally seems more difficult to manage than last year. 8th, with only 4 victories in 14 matches for 7 defeats, YS is in a delicate situation. Six points currently separate Alessandro Mangiarratti’s men from the bottom of the standings. As captain, does William Le Pogam have additional work to do so that the team does not sink mentally?
It is therefore imperative to quickly move on and take advantage of the international break to recharge all the batteries.
Even if such a match, against a great team, with Shaqiri in the squad, is a dream, the captain ensures that his teammates keep their feet on the ground. “Basel is the image of Swiss football, and some would perhaps like Yverdon to become one. But you must not be too greedy and be patient.” The midfielder recalls that the two teams “are not of the same standing, so we should not necessarily compare. Comparing is the worst thing to do today I think.”
A philosophy that benefits business
When William Le Pogam is asked what Yverdon lacks compared to the teams at the top of the ranking, the captain responds without hesitation: “more quality, they have great players, internationals and on certain details, that makes the difference.”
The midfielder nevertheless reminds that Yverdon is a young team, with new players who must progress. “I don’t know if you remember, the first six months, Kevin Carlos, he didn’t play too much and we were skeptical about his performances and his real level.” The striker finished top scorer in the Super League and “today, in Basel, he is on fire,” smiles Le Pogam.
“We are a transition club,” he adds. What is needed is time and “for the structure to grow with us.” A difficult wish to achieve when the squad changes largely at the start of each season.
While waiting to see this philosophy move towards something more favorable to the team, Yverdon Sport will return to the Super League on November 24, after the international break. The Nord-Vaudois will travel to St. Gallen.
