Basel coach Murat Yakin has insisted that he was pleased with his side's performance against Chelsea, despite losing 5-2 on aggregate in their Europa League semi-final.
Chelsea scored three times in the first 15 minutes of the second half to seal their passage, but Yakin chose to focus on how well he thought his side played in the first period.
"In the second half we were caught cold but I have to credit my players – they played very well in the first half," UEFA.com quotes Yakin as saying. "We knew we had to score and the task of keeping a clean sheet here was always going to be a tough one. It all just slipped away from us too fast in the second period.
"The team has grown, qualifying round by round – in this tie Chelsea were cleverer than we were and we paid for our inexperience. It's those little details that make the difference at this level.
"Chelsea are clever, experienced and know how to win things. I like to think that my team has provided the perfect preparation for them in the final."
Chelsea will face Benfica in Amsterdam on May 15.
Matt Domm
