Swiss Socceroos claim English victims

Mark Viduka's wish for a starting berth was finally heeded, but it was fellow Socceroos Mile Sterjovski and Scott Chipperfield who emerged happiest after the first leg of the UEFA Cup quarter finals last night.

Viduka's Middlesbrough went down 2-0 to FC Basel in Switzerland, with Sterjovski and Chipperfield playing important roles in the Swiss champions victory.

Fellow Australian Mark Schwarzer was in goal for Boro, but it was his inability to keep out strikes from Matias Delgado and David Degen that ensured Basel would enter next week's second leg holding the upper hand.

Both goals came just before half-time, with Schwarzer on the receiving end of an unlucky bounce for the first and a cool finish for the second.

Sterjovski was arguably the most impressive of the Australian quartet, as he worked hard on the left side of defence and helped to mark dangerous Spaniard Gaizka Mendieta.

Chipperfield was brought on for Sterjovski mid-way through the second half, as Basel manager Christian Gross sought to consolidate his side's two-goal advantage.

However, Chipperfield's famous attacking streak again came to the fore, and the former Wollongong star delivered a series of crosses and even fired a shot past Schwarzer, only to see it cleared off the line.

Adding to the Aussie flavour was former Perth Glory starlet Ivan Ergic - remembered by many locals as a promising junior who declared his allegiance to Serbia and Montengro instead of Australia - who came on as late substitute for Basel.

"I thought for the first 40 minutes we looked very comfortable with nothing to fear but those two goals before halftime epitomise European football," McClaren said post-game.

"You lose your concentration for a few seconds and you're 2-0 down. That's what disappoints me most as we always say you have to keep your concentration all the way through."

A sickeing postscript from the match emerged in the form of Middlesbrough defender Emanuel Pogatetz, who left the field in the second half with a broken nose and possible fractures to his skull after a clash of heads with Basel's Mladen Petric.

Of the other quarter-finals, Schalke won 3-1 away to Levski Sofia, Sevilla destroyed Zenit St Petersburg 4-1 and Rapid Bucharest drew 1-1 with fierce local rival Steaua Bucharest.

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