BASEL (Reuters) – David Luiz, lucky to be on the pitch after a shocking challenge, scored with the last kick of the game to give Chelsea a 2-1 win at FC Basel in the first leg of their Europa League semi-final after the Swiss side had levelled with an 87th minute penalty yesterday.
Victor Moses gave Chelsea a 12th minute lead with a soft goal but Basel, after an uncertain opening, fought back well after the break and looked to have grabbed a deserved draw until the Brazilian curled in a free kick from 25 metres in the fourth minute of injury time.
The goal silenced a raucous St Jakob Park which was still celebrating Fabian Schaer’s penalty for the hosts, who are aiming to become the first Swiss side to reach a European final.
However, David Luiz was lucky to escape with a yellow card after a studs-up challenge on Philipp Degen late in the game. Schaer was also fortunate not to be dismissed for a late tackle on Eden Hazard.
“We played against a good team, you could see the intensity and the pace of the game but we had enough chances to score and the penalty, which was a surprise for everyone, could have made a difference,” Chelsea manager Rafa Benitez told ITV.
“All around me nobody felt that it was a penalty because the ball was in the air, it was a very strange decision.”
David Luiz added: “Scoring two goals here against a very good team and with the last kick of the match is amazing for us, but we have to keep our minds strong for the second leg because that is another difficult game for us.”
Basel, playing their 19th match of a marathon European campaign which started away to Estonia’s Flora Tallinn in the Champions League second qualifying round in mid-July, have beaten Manchester United and Bayern Munich at home in the last 18 months.
But the English Premier League start got the start they needed following a Frank Lampard corner.
