FC Basel 2 Manchester Utd 1:MANCHESTER UNITED made a quiet exit from the Champions League group stage in this raucous stadium. With this win it was Basel who proceeded to the last 16. Their right to be there cannot be contested.

They even rounded off the display with a late goal. In the 84th minute Xherdan Shaqiri’s inswinging and bouncing cross from the right was headed home by Alexander Frei for a 2-0 lead.

A rally by United was too late and the draw they needed was out of reach. An onslaught in which the substitute Federico Macheda shot against the bar saw Phil Jones head the ball fractionally over the line in the 89th minute but that did not suffice.

United’s confidence about their progress in the tournament suffered early damage as Basel took the lead. It was a goal that made a mockery of the idea that the visitors would be resolute with their preferred back four all on the field.

Shaqiri crossed low from the left but it was the visitors themselves who heightened the danger. The goalkeeper, David de Gea, did no more than brush the ball out and Marco Streller converted with a half-volley.

In that incident Nemanja Vidic had collided with his right-back, Chris Smalling, as if to underline the confusion. It was an incident that went against the grain of all Alex Ferguson’s remarks when he had sounded truly optimistic about this match.

It is a key trait for managers to generate confidence in those around him but he knew, too, his squad has often gone far in the tournament over recent years.

That expertise lingers to a degree even as the line-up evolves and that was a precious attribute when they strove to respond to the opener by Basel.

At the weekend Rio Ferdinand was taken off in the match at Aston Villa despite the fact that Ferguson’s side only led 1-0. The manager was right to think that the opposition would pose no threat and removed him after 64 minutes presumably so that a minor injury would not be aggravated and rule him out of this Champions League occasion.

The contest had its moments of calculation and even gamesmanship when, behind the back of the Dutch referee, Bjorn Kuipers, Granit Xhaka pulled back Wayne Rooney and went unpunished.

Justice did catch up with the midfielder when he fouled Nani but United needed to chasten the opposition in another manner.

Territorial occupation was achieved by the middle of the first-half but it was also likely that the Basel manager, Heiko Vogel, was ready to concede territory. The resulting congestion is familiar to United from many of their matches and they were not noticeably flustered.

Even so, the visitors did not quite complete their plans before half-time. Rooney was glaringly guilty when he was set up by Nani in the 30th minute and simply miskicked when he was in prime position to finish.

There was an even worse setback than that when Vidic had to be carried off on the verge of the interval after his knee had been injured in a challenge by Streller. Jonny Evans took over in the back four.

That was disruptive but defensive issues were not to the fore in United minds when the necessity was for them to score a goal of their own.

They had taken steps to impose themselves and the opposition were not at ease, but a leveller was remaining elusive.

This was a particularly bad time for a poacher such as Javier Hernandez to be missing through an ankle injury.

The pause of the interval should at least have let them gather their thoughts and remember that a single goal would put them back on course for the next phase of the tournament. There was purpose after 49 minutes when Rooney drove into the left of the penalty area and put his finish a little beyond the far post.

To United’s regret, however, Basel were unwilling to be pushed back. It took an outstanding effort by De Gea to stop the lead being extended when he tipped Shaqiri’s free-kick over the bar in the 53rd minute. Basel had come very close to victory in the draw at Old Trafford, it must have made them all the more resolved to deny the opposition encouragement in this match.

United could respond with intent here since there was no longer any sense in restraining themselves and a leveller was almost taken in a curious manner. Nani flighted a delivery and the Basel left-back Marcus Steinhofer crashed it against his own crossbar.

United themselves it is understood, are not the devil-may-care side of times gone by, but it still came as a little surprise that there was not a relentless vehemence. Ferguson would have realised once more that there is much yet to be done at the club.

Guardian Service

BASLE:Sommer, Steinhofer, Abraham, Dragovic, Park, Shaqiri (Stocker 90), Cabral, Granit Xhaka (Chipperfield 82), Fabian Frei, Alexander Frei (Kusunga 87), Streller. Subs Not Used: Colomba, Kovac, Zoua, Pak. Booked: Granit Xhaka, Fabian Frei.

MAN UTD:De Gea, Smalling, Vidic (Evans 44), Ferdinand, Evra, Park (Macheda 82), Giggs, Jones, Young (Welbeck 64), Nani, Rooney. Subs Not Used: Lindegaard, Fletcher, Valencia, Gibson. Booked: Young, Evra.

Referee: Bjorn Kuipers(Holland).