ZURICH, May 12 (Reuters) - FC Basle clinched their first Swiss double for 35 years on Sunday, beating Grasshoppers Zurich 2-1 after extra time to lift the Cup at their own Saint Jakob Stadiuon.
Cameroon striker Herve Tum, whose two goals against Young
Boys last month secured Basle their first Nationalliga title in
22 years, opened the scoring in the fifth minute.
But the hero for Basle was defender Murat Yakin, whose
penalty put his side back in front with eight minutes of extra
time remaining after Mladen Petric had equalised for
Grasshoppers.
The victory was sealed in front of a 33,000 sell-out crowd,
and there was added satisfaction for coach Christian Gross. The
former Tottenham Hotspur manager won a host of domestic trophies
with Grasshoppers during his four-year spell in Zurich.
Basle's double triumph was a rousing finale to an eventful
Swiss season that has seen several teams denied licences to
compete next year as a result of their financial status.
From next season, the top 'Nationalliga' division will be
slimmed down to 10 teams who each play each other four times
over the course of a 36-game season.
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