Basel moved up to second in Group B in the Champions League with a 4-0 win over Ludogorets Razgrad this evening.
Seventeen-year-old Breel Embolo and Derlis Gonzalez found the back of the net in the first half, before Marek Sucy and Shkelzen Gashi scored their debut goals in the competition.
The loss leaves the Bulgarian champions at the bottom of the group.
Here, Sports Mole takes a closer look at the result:
Match statistics
BASEL
Shots: 18
On target: 7
Possession: 53%
Corners: 6
Fouls: 9
LUDOGORETS RAZGRAD
Shots: 5
On target: 2
Possession: 47%
Corners: 2
Fouls: 10
Was the result fair?
The result was 100% fair. Ludogorets had played well in the opening half-hour and defended well to try to keep their hosts out, but they crumbled once they fell behind, making it an easy evening for the Swiss side. Too often the home side were allowed into the box without facing a tackle, while the few opportunities that the Bulgarian side did create rarely troubled the goalkeeper. It could have been a lot worse for Ludogorets this evening.
Basel's performance
Basel took a while to get going, but once they did they were superb. Breel Embolo did not look settled until half an hour in, while there were some pretty poor corners early on, but once the opening goal went in, the home side were cruising. Embolo caused plenty of problems with his pace and strength, while Derlis Gonzalez and Shkelzen Gashi also proved a handful, but there were a number of other Basel players that could have found the back of the net. Ludogorets did make a strong start to the second half, but some solid defending ensured that they did not get back into the tie. It was a brilliant all-round performance.
Ludogorets's performance
It looked like being another resilient performance early on from Ludogorets, but once they fell behind they lived up to their billing as whipping boys of Group B, with little organisation at the back and a lack of urgency going forward. It is the first time the Bulgarian champions have really been outplayed in the group, but they really had very little answer to the high-tempo attack, and seemed to give up on their attempt at a comeback pretty early in the second half, although the early injury to Cosmin Moti did hamper them.
Sports Mole's man of the match
Fabian Frei: The Basel captain was not one of the four players to find the back of the net, but he did set up the first two goals, and could have been involved in several more after the break. The visitors seemed to have little answer to his high passes into the box, but Embolo and Gonzalez managed to convert in the first half. He also proved a force at the back, helping defend a couple of efforts towards the end of the first half as Ludogorets tried to pull a goal back.
Biggest gaffe
There were several sloppy corners throughout the match, but Brayan Angulo's in the first half was really quite something. The Ludogorets defender, who was filling in for the suspended Yordan Minev, somehow managed to slice the ball straight out and into the side-netting, wasting what had been his side's best chance of the night at that point.
Referee performance
French referee Stephane Lannoy did not have too many big decisions to make, but he did let the game flow, only reaching for his yellow card twice. The only time he was really called upon was for a penalty appeal shortly before the break, but his decision not to penalise Tomas Vaclik for a collision with Marcelinho was probably the right one.
What next?
Basel: Basel travel to Vaduz in the Swiss Super League at the weekend, and will host Aarau later this month ahead of their next Champions League outing against Real Madrid.
Ludogorets Razgrad: Ludogorets host Lokomotiv Plovdiv at the weekend, and have an away tie against CSKA Sofia before meeting Liverpool in the Champions League later this month.