Young Boys vs Young Reds

20 September 2012, Stade de Suisse, Bern

Kick-off kompetisi Eropa telah dimulai minggu ini. Liga Champions 2012-2013 langsung diwarnai berbagai match seru bin ketat di pekan pertama, seperti Real Madrid melawan Manchester City dan Chelsea melawan Juventus. Di sisi lain panggung sepakbola Eropa, kompetisi kasta kedua alias Liga Europa juga dimulai. Dari sekian banyak match yang berlangsung di pekan pertama, tentunya perhatian lebih banyak tersedot ke salah satu klub tersukses Inggris, Liverpool. Klub berjuluk The Reds ini memang punya fan base yang luas di banyak negara, tak terkecuali di Indonesia.

Di pertandingan pertama, Liverpool akan menghadapi wakil Swiss, BSC Young Boys. Alih-alih membicarakan prediksi kekuatan lawan, sebagian besar kalangan malah sibuk membuat joke yang berkaitan dengan nama klub peringkat tiga Swiss Super League 2011-2012 tersebut. Tengoklah berbagai social media, dan Anda akan dibuat tergelak oleh berbagai joke yang terbilang kinky seperti, ‘Liverpool is coming to Switzerland to play ball with Young Boys.’

Meski demikian, BSC Young Boys tetap merupakan klub sepakbola kebanggaan masyarakat Bern, ibukota Swiss. Orang-orang yang tidak peduli geografi pasti banyak yang mengira ibukota Swiss adalah Zurich atau Geneve (Jenewa), dua kota dengan nama yang lebih terkenal. Akibat sepakbola, malah sekarang banyak yang mengira ibukota Swiss terletak di Basel, seiring dominasi klub sepakbola kota tersebut di Superliga Swiss. Ya, FC Basel adalah klub yang membuat Manchester United tersingkir di penyisihan grup Liga Champions musim lalu. Tahun ini, di kasta kompetisi lebih rendah, wakil Inggris kembali ditantang wakil Swiss.

Begitu melihat lembaran line-up yang dibagikan, terbersit sedikit rasa kecewa. Ternyata Liverpool memang menyimpan pemain-pemain kelas dunianya untuk pertandingan ini. Steven Gerrard, Jose Manuel Reina dan Luis Suarez tidak dibawa ke Swiss. Gantinya, pelatih Brendan Rodgers mempercayakan pada pemain-pemain muda seperti Andre Wisdom dan Daniel Pacheco, dipimpin oleh pemain-pemain lebih senior yakni Jamie Carragher dan Nuri Sahin.

Tepat jam 7 petang waktu setempat, kedua pemain pun memasuki lapangan. Berkebalikan dengan Liverpool, BSC Young Boys menampilkan pemain-pemain terbaik mereka, seperti kiper nasional Swiss Marco Wolfli dan striker Argentina Raul Bobadilla. Stade de Suisse pun dipadati sekitar 32.000 penonton yang sebagian besar warga Bern. Meski demikian, chant khas Liverpool, ‘You’ll Never Walk Alone’ tetap terdengar dinyanyikan oleh sekitar 1.000 fans Liverpool. Para suporter pun adu berisik dengan chant masing-masing. Para suporter  Young Boys tidak ingin kalah dengan yel-yel andalan mereka, ‘Hop YB’.

Pertandingan ternyata menjelma menjadi sebuah thriller. Kedua tim saling kejar mengejar skor dan berganti keunggulan sampai skor menunjukkan kedudukan 3-3. Namun setelah itu, masuknya tenaga baru dalam diri pemain pengganti Jonjo Shelvey yang mencetak dua gol membuat skor berubah jadi 5-3 untuk The Reds. Anak-anak Young Boys pun harus mengakui keunggulan ‘young reds’.

Pasca pertandingan, pelatih Brendan Rodgers mengatakan bahwa dirinya bangga atas perjuangan anak-anak mudanya. Kemenangan ini cukup memberi suntikan semangat menjelang duel melawan Manchester United di Liga Premier Inggris tiga hari kemudian. Di lain pihak, pelatih Young Boys Martin Rueda terlihat kecewa karena pada akhirnya mereka kalah setelah sempat unggul 3-2. Namun, mereka harus bangkit karena di Superliga Swiss, lawan berat juga menanti mereka, yaitu klub raksasa FC Basel.

Bagi saya dan segenap penduduk kota Bern, delapan gol dalam sebuah pertandingan Liga Europa merupakan kepuasan tersendiri. Kami pun tidak sabar menunggu kedatangan lawan berat selanjutnya, yaitu wakil Italia Udinese dan klub kaya baru dari Rusia, Anzhi.

source: BBC Sport

September 20th, 2012, Stade de Suisse, Bern

The European competitions already kicked-off this week. Champions League 2012-2013 matches were already tight in the first week, as Real Madrid got to face Manchester City and Chelsea met Juventus. On the other side of the stage of European football , aka the second-tier competition, the Europa League, also started . Of the many matches that took place in the first week , more attention was sucked into one of England ‘s most successful club, Liverpool. The club, nicknamed The Reds, is known to have a wide fan base all around the world, notably Indonesia.

In the first game, Liverpool will face the Swiss representative, BSC Young Boys. Instead of talking about the match prediction, most people are actually busy making jokes upon the name of the club who finished third the Swiss Super League 2011-2012. Just jump into several social media pages, and you will laugh on variety of fairly kinky jokes such as, ‘Liverpool is coming to Switzerland to play ball with Young Boys.

Jokes aside, actually BSC Young Boys remain the pride of Bern, the capital city of Switzerlan. People who do not care about geography will probably think that the capital of Switzerland is Zurich or Geneve (Geneva), two cities with more famous names. In football, even now many people think that the capital of Switzerland is Basel, due to the dominance of the city’s football club in the Swiss Super League. Yes, everyone remembers FC Basel as the club that knocked out Manchester United in the group stage of the Champions League last season. This year, in the less prestigious competition, the British representative re-challenged a club from Switzerland.

When looking at the line-up, I felt a little disappointment. It seemed Liverpool did not want to bother to play their world-class players for this match. Steven Gerrard , Jose Manuel Reina and Luis Suarez were not brought to Switzerland. Instead, coach Brendan Rodgers relied on young players such as Andre Wisdom and Daniel Pacheco, led by more senior players such as Jamie Carragher and Nuri Sahin.

Promptly at 7 pm local time, both players were entering the field. In contrast to Liverpool, BSC Young Boys played their best players, such as the Swiss national goalkeeper Marco Wolfli and Argentine striker Raul Bobadilla. Stade de Suisse was packed by around 32,000 spectators who consisted of vast majority of Bernese. However, the famous Liverpool chant, ‘You’ll Never Walk Alone’ still can be heard sung by around 1,000 Liverpool fans. Young Boys fans, who do not want to be outchanted, kept on shouting, ‘Hop YB’.

The match turned out into a blossoming thriller. Both teams were eager to score, which resulted into 3-3 equal score until the first 10 minutes of the second half. However, after that , the entrance of new energy in the substitute Jonjo Shelvey , who scored two goals, turned the score into a 5-3 victory of the Reds . Young Boys had to acknowledge the better quality of ‘young reds’.

 After the game, coach Brendan Rodgers said he was proud of the struggles of his youth team. The victory was enough to give an injection of spirit towards their upcoming duel against Manchester United in the Premier League three days later. On the other hand, Young Boys coach Martin Rueda looks disappointed because in the end they lost the game after once led 3-2 . However, they should move on because in Swiss Superleague , they had to face the giants FC Basel.

For me and all the inhabitants of the city of Bern, eight goals in a Europa League match was a pure football satisfaction. We also could not wait for the arrival of the next tough opponents, the Italian club Udinese and the new rich guys from Russia, Anzhi.

Match highlight: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fg8SRpP4Ee8

(This post was also published on http://www.bolatotal.com in December 2012)

International Friendly: Switzerland vs Argentina

Meskipun sering dikritik berbagai kalangan karena kontribusinya bagi tim nasional tidak sedahsyat prestasinya di Barcelona, Lionel Messi berhasil membuat 30.000 penonton di Stade de Suisse terpukau. Pemain terbaik dunia tiga kali itu menghapus keraguan banyak kalangan dengan bermain full-time 90 menit sekaligus mencetak hattrick. Penampilan cemerlangnya ini mengantarkan tim nasional Argentina mengalahkan tuan rumah Swiss dengan skor 3-1 pada partai persahabatan yang diadakan di Bern, Swiss, pada 29 Februari 2012 pukul 20.30 waktu setempat.

Swiss vs Argentina

Albiceleste memasang formasi 4-4-2 dengan menduetkan Messi dan Sergio Aguero di lini depan. Sang pemain terbaik dunia membuka skor dengan golnya di menit ke-22 hasil kerja sama yang apik dengan Aguero dan Jose Sosa. Swiss, yang mengandalkan pemain-pemain muda, menyamakan skor di menit ke-50 melalui gol Xherdan Shaqiri. Tim tuan rumah sempat memberikan perlawanan sengit dengan beberapa kali melepaskan tembakan berbahaya ke gawang kiper Sergio Romero. Namun, satu kesalahan di lini belakang Swiss pada menit 88 berhasil dimanfaatkan Messi untuk mencetak gol kedua. Sang maestro akhirnya mencetak hattrick pertamanya untuk tim nasional di injury time melalui titik penalti setelah Gonzalo Higuain dilanggar di kotak terlarang. Penampilan gemilang ini seolah memuaskan media setempat yang memang dalam beberapa hari terakhir telah heboh mempublikasikan kedatangan sang mega-bintang di ibukota Swiss tersebut.

Swiss: Benaglio (Wolfli 46′); Lichtsteiner (Ziegler 57′), Senderos, Affolter, Rodriguez (Salvio 70′); Shaqiri, Inler, Dzemaili (Stocker 66′), F. Frei (Derdiyok 46′ Vitkieviez 87′); Xhaka; Mehmedi (Emeghara 80′).

Argentina: Romero; Campagnaro, Fernandez, Garay, Zabaleta; Rodriguez, Brana (Gago 46′), Mascherano, Sosa (Higuain 81′); Aguero, Messi.
Ditulis pada 29 Februari 2012

Langsung dari Stade de Suisse, Wankdorf

Bern, Swiss

Although often criticized because his contributions to the national teams are not as powerful as his performance at Barcelona, Lionel Messi managed to mesmerize the 30,000 spectators at the Stade de Suisse. The world’s three-times best player erased the doubts of many people with his full-time 90 minutes show and scored a hat-trick. His brilliant performance led the Argentine national team to ease past the host Switzerland, with the final score 3-1. The friendly match was held in Bern, Switzerland, on February 29th, 2012 at 20:30 local time.

Switzerland vs Argentina

Albiceleste put on their 4-4-2 formation with Messi and Sergio Aguero up front. The world’s best player opened the score with his goal in the 22nd minute through a slick collaboration with Aguero and Jose Sosa. Switzerland, which relied on their bright young players, evened the score in the 50th minute through a goal by Xherdan Shaqiri. The home side showed fierce resistance several times by releasing a dangerous shot on goal keeper Sergio Romero. However, an error in their backline at the 88th minute successfully benefited by Messi to score the second goal. The maestro finally scored his first hat-trick for the national team in the injury time from the penalty spot after Gonzalo Higuain got fouled inside the box. This brilliant performance was an over-the-top satisfaction for the local media after the local journalist had invested splashy publications upon the arrival of the mega-star in the Swiss capital.

Switzerland: Benaglio (Wolfli 46 ‘); Lichtsteiner (Ziegler 57’), Senderos, Affolter, Rodriguez (Salvio 70 ‘); Shaqiri, Inler, Stocker (Stocker 66’), F. Frei (Derdiyok 46 ‘Vitkieviez 87’); Xhaka; Mehmedi (Emeghara 80 ‘).

Argentina: Romero; Campagnaro, Fernandez, Garay, Zabaleta; Rodriguez, Brana (Gago 46 ‘), Mascherano, Sosa (Higuain 81’); Aguero, Messi.

Posted on February 29, 2012

Live from the Stade de Suisse, Wankdorf

Bern, Switzerland

match highlight: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MTUOWYwXCNg

FC Basel’s Historic Win against Manchester United

It was such a historical match for any football fan in Switzerland, when FC Basel knocked Manchester United out of Champions League 2012-2013.

Basel vs Man Utd (December 7th, 2011)

Venue: St. Jakob Park, Basel. Attendance: 36,894
Basel starting lineup vs Man Utd: Sommer, Steinhofer, Abraham, Dragovic, Joo-Ho Park, Shaqiri, Cabral, Granit Xhaka, Fabian Frei, Alexander Frei, Streller.
Man Utd starting lineup vs Basel: De Gea, Smalling, Vidic, Ferdinand, Evra, Ji-Sung Park, Giggs, Jones, Young, Nani, Rooney.

Europa League 2011/12: FCZ vs Vaslui

Zürich Hentikan Laju Vaslui di Liga Europa

FC Zürich mengakhiri perjalanan mereka di kompetisi antarklub Eropa musim ini dengan kepala tegak. Meskipun sudah dipastikan tersingkir dan menjadi juru kunci grup B Europa League, mereka berhasil mengalahkan Vaslui di pertandingan terakhir. Pada pertandingan yang dilangsungkan di Stadion Letzigrund, Zürich, tanggal 14 Desember 2011 tersebut, skor 2-0 sudah cukup bagi tuan rumah untuk membuat wakil Rumania itu tersingkir. Pendukung fanatik FC Zürich pun pulang ke rumah masing-masing dengan hati tenang.

Dua gol dari Oliver Margairaz dan Oliver Buff di babak kedua menegaskan keunggulan Zürich dari klub Rumania tersebut. Vaslui, yang diperkuat mantan bintang Bologna, Adailton Martins, tidak berhasil membuat peluang berarti di sepanjang pertandingan. Pertandingan itu sendiri berlangsung di bawah guyuran hujan dan hanya disaksikan oleh sekitar 6.000 penonton. Jumlah tersebut tidak sampai seperempat dari kapasitas total stadion yang mencapai 25.000.

Meskipun sudah dipastikan tidak lolos ke babak 32 besar, para pemain FC Zürich seolah tidak ingin kalah dengan saingan mereka, FC Basel, yang baru saja menorehkan prestasi gemilang lolos ke babak 16 besar Liga Champions dengan menyingkirkan Manchester United. Praktis, Vaslui hanya memperoleh satu peluang bersih sepanjang pertandingan melalui striker mereka asal Brasil, Bello, namun dipatahkan oleh kiper Andrea Guatelli. Setelah itu, praktis FC Zürich menguasai jalannya pertandingan.

Boleh jadi, para penggemar FC Zürich menyayangkan permainan cantik tim kesayangan mereka yang seolah terlambat. Ya, ini memang bukan musim yang menggembirakan bagi runner-up Liga Super Swiss musim lalu tersebut. Terdampar di peringkat 8 Liga Super Swiss, alias hanya dua strip di atas zona degradasi, tentunya sangatlah mengecewakan.

Padahal, Zürich memulai kampanyenya dengan peluang untuk tampil di Liga Champions musim ini bersama wakil Swiss lainnya, FC Basel. Apa daya, karena kalah kelas dari Bayern Muenchen, Zürich harus menyerah dengan skor agregat 0-3 dan terlempar ke fase grup Liga Europa. Di kompetisi kelas dua UEFA ini, FC Zürich tergabung ke grup B bersama Sporting Portugal, Lazio dan Vaslui. Pelatih FC Zürich, Urs Fischer, awalnya mencanangkan target untuk lolos ke fase 32 besar. Apa daya, kekalahan atas Sporting di matchday ke-lima mengubur impian tersebut.

Menunggu Kebangkitan Sepakbola Swiss

Jika dibandingkan dengan Indonesia, Swiss adalah negara yang sangat kecil, baik ditilik dari luas wilayah maupun jumlah penduduk. Namun, untuk urusan fanatisme terhadap tim sepakbola, warga Swiss boleh diadu. Persamaan Swiss dan Indonesia sekarang adalah, kedua Negara sama-sama menunggu kebangkitan sepakbola masing-masing. Jika Indonesia pernah berbangga menjadi tuan rumah final Piala Asia 2007, Swiss juga menjadi host Piala Eropa 2008 bersama Austria. Namun, pasca euphoria singkat mengalahkan Spanyol di pertandingan pertama Piala Dunia 2010, tim nasional Swiss tidak pernah lagi berprestasi. Swiss, yang ditangani pelatih bertangan dingin Ottmar Hitzfeld, sudah dipastikan hanya menjadi penonton di Piala Eropa 2012, setelah kalah bersaing dengan Inggris dan Montenegro di babak kualifikasi.

Di tingkat kompetisi antarklub Eropa 2011/2012, para wakil Swiss satu demi satu bertumbangan. FC Zürich disikat Bayern Muenchen sehingga terdepak dari Liga Champions, hanya untuk menjadi bulan-bulanan lagi di Liga Europa (lihat liputan di atas). Sementara wakil Swiss lainnya, yaitu FC Young Boys dan FC Thun lebih duluan tersingkir. Salah satu wakil lainnya, FC Sion, malah didiskualifikasi karena melakukan transfer pemain di luar batas waktu yang ditetapkan UEFA. Nama terakhir bias terancam sanksi lebih jauh lagi, karena sampai sekarang kasus tersebut masih berlarut-larut.

Untungnya, wajah sepakbola Swiss sedikit diselamatkan oleh kejutan FC Basel. Tidak ada yang menduga sebelumnya bahwa juara bertahan Liga Super Swiss itu ‘meledak’ di pertandingan terakhir penyisihan grup Liga Champions dengan mengalahkan finalis Liga Champions tahun lalu, Manchester United.

Bisa dipastikan, seluruh penggemar sepakbola Swiss akan meninggalkan atribut klub mereka masing-masing untuk mendukung satu-satunya wakil mereka di kompetisi Eropa musim ini, yaitu FC Basel. Di babak 16 besar, hasil undian mempertemukan Basel dengan tim yang sebelumnya menyingkirkan FC Zürich, yaitu FC Bayern Muenchen. Sampai sejauh manakah dukungan publik Swiss akan menyokong prestasi Basel musim ini? Kita tunggu saja.

Zürich hammered Vaslui ( Europa League)

FC Zürich ended their journey in European club competition this season with their heads held high. Although they were already knocked out and currently positioned on the bottom of the group B, they managed to beat Vaslui in the last game. In the match held at Letzigrund Stadium, Zürich, on December 14, 2011, the 2-0 score was enough for the host to also knock the Romanian side out of the competition. FC Zürich’s loyal supporters were able to walk home each with a bit of lightened hearts.

Two goals from Oliver Margairaz and Oliver Buff in the second half affirmed FCZ’s superiority against their Romanian opponent, Vaslui, who had the service of the former Bologna star, Adailton Martins. The Brazilian veteran failed to make meaningful opportunities throughout the match. The match itself takes place under heavy rain and was only watched by more or less 6,000 spectators. That is less than a quarter of the total stadium capacity, which is over 25,000 seats.

Although they failed to qualify for the round of 32, FC Zürich players did not have to feel so far behind from their rivals, FC Basel , who had just chalked brilliant achievement to qualify for the last 16 of the Champions League on the expense of Manchester United. During the FCZ vs Vaslui match, the Romanian side only got one clear chance clean through their Brazilian strike, Bello. However, the chance was saved brilliantly by FCZ goalkeeper Andrea Guatelli.

FC Zürich fans had the right to regret the beautiful play shown their team. Yes, it was definitely not a joyous season for the 2010/2011 Swiss Super League runner-up. Stranded on the 8th position in the Swiss Super League, which meant only two stripes above the relegation zone, was definitely a disappointing achievement. In fact, Zürich began their campaign with a chance to play in the Champions League this season with the other representative of Switzerland, FC Basel. Well, there was nothing much to say, because they gave up to Bayern Munich, with the aggregate score 0-3 and got thrown into the Europa League group phase. In the UEFA’s second-degree competition, FC Zürich foun themselves into group B with Sporting Portugal, Lazio and Vaslui. FC Zürich’s coach Urs Fischer, initially set a target to qualify for the last 32 phase until the defeat of Sporting in matchday five had that dream buried.

Waiting for the Rise of Swiss Football

Compared to Indonesia, Switzerland can be considered a very small country, seen from its aerial size and population. However, Swiss citizens may be pitted for their football fanaticism. Both Switzerland and Indonesia are waiting for the resurrection of their football. Indonesia was a proud host of the 2007 Asian Cup, while Switzerland also became one of the hosts of Euro 2008 with Austria. However, after the brief euphoria of beating Spain in the first match of the 2010 World Cup, the Swiss national team failed to make further surprise . ‘Die Nati’ the nickname of Swiss National Team, who are managed by the cold-handed coach Ottmar Hitzfeld, disappointingly became a mere spectator in the European Cup in 2012, after getting knocked out by England and Montenegro in the qualifying phase.

On the stages of European club competition 2011/2012, the representatives of Switzerland were knocked out one after another. Bayern Munich eased out FC Zurich in the Champions League, leaving FCZ out cold again in the Europa League (read the coverage above). While other Swiss representatives , namely FC Young Boys and FC Thun, were eliminated on the earlier qualifying phases. Another Swiss club, FC Sion, got disqualified for violating UEFA rules by signing players outside the transfer deadline. FC Sion could face further sanctions, as the case had been dragged on to higher court.

Fortunately, the face of Swiss football was a little saved by the surprising success of FC Basel. No one had expected earlier that the Swiss Super League champions performed so explosively in their final game of the Champions League group stage by beating last year’s Champions League finalists Manchester United.

It can be expected that Swiss football fans will leave their clubs attributes behind in order to support their only representative in European competition this season, FC Basel. In the round of 16, the Swiss champion found themselves drawn together with FC Bayern Munich, the one knocking out their fellow Swiss league participant. How far would the Swiss champion find themselves on the Champions League title challenge this season? Let’s wait and see!

Match highlight: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yamPUwB0a_c