FC Basel and Bayern Munich have put on a show in the first half at St-Jakob's Park by creating all kinds of chances, but they have somehow gone into the break tied 0-0. Both teams have had plenty of chances to score that they haven't been able to take, and though something like 2-2 might have been the score that best reflected what happened on the pitch, a draw is a fair reflection of what's happened so far.
Basel have stuck with their normal 4-4-2 formation, and they haven't been at a disadvantage in the center at all. Granit Xhaka and Benjamin Huggel look like they're a three-man midfield with their spectacular position and tackling, and though Bayern have created some chances with crosses and long shots, they haven't been able to find a way through Basel's central midfielders.
Franck Ribery had a golden opportunity to give his team the lead in the third minute when he found himself one-on-one with Yann Sommer, but he somehow put his shot right into the keeper's body. Though it was impossible to tell at the time, this was a bit of foreshadowing for what was going to transpire throughout the half.
Basel stunned Bayern by creating a few golden opportunities early in the half. Fabian Frei appeared to have a penalty shout early when Rafinha made contact with him in the box, but no foul was given. In the 9th minute, Xherdan Shaqiri found himself in front of goal with what looked like an easy finish, but Jerome Boateng cleared at the last minute.
Bayern would need an incredible goal line clearance in the 16th minute to keep a clean sheet. After a corner kick that Marco Streller forced Manuel Neuer to concede with a shot on target, Shaqiri put a wonderful cross into the box. Aleksandar Dragovic rose up to meet it and put a header on target, which Neuer pushed onto his near post. The ball bounced off the post and along the goal like until Holger Badstuber made a miracle clearance for the Bavarians.
Three minutes later, following a fantastic run and pass by left back Park Joo-Ho, Streller hit the crossbar from 12 yards out. That would be the last of the clear-cut chances for Basel, as Bayern would look like the better side for the remainder of the first half.
Sommer was forced into a few saves late in the half. In the 29th minute, Alexander Frei gave the ball away in a bad area, leading to a Bayern counter. They set up David Alaba for a shot from 20-yards and he hit a nasty knuckleball that moved on Sommer at the last second. He moved late, but was able to adjust enough to keep the ball out of the net. Seven minutes later, he barely got across his goal to deny Ribery on a hard, low shot
The teams combined for 14 shots and seven on target in the first half, and it's incredible that there haven't been any goals so far.
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