Player Ratings: Sheriff 0-3 Basel (0-4 Agg.)

The goalkeeper went untested in the first half, punching away a couple of dangerous crosses but otherwise getting a pretty easy ride of it. Lacked communication at times and a fumble cost his side the second goal as Sheriff collapsed at the death.

A veteran drafted into the squad largely because of suspensions elsewhere in the defence, he used all his experience very well in the first half. Frequently on hand to tidy up dangerous Basel forays, his second half performance could not have been any different as he was frequently caught out and was ultimately sent off.

It must have been a frustrating shift for the left-back, who hammered forward with regularity but received little service from Balima. When he did receive the ball, he generally did something positive with it, but equally he had life tough against Stocker on the defensive front.

Kept his side in the game before the break with a crucial goal line clearance. Not as all-action as his centre-back colleague, though he was far more consistent, holding his position well and not being drawn into many errors.

Suspended for the first leg, the Brazilian provided the oil in the centre of the midfield, keeping play flowing with simple passes. Effective in the first half, he failed to pace himself effectively and faded badly after the break.

Much of the focus of Sheriff’s attacking play was directed towards the Burkinabe. Had a titanic battle with Safari, but though he got the better of his personal duel, his final pass was often wasteful under little or no pressure. Lashed a late chance to gain some respectability over the bar. Clearly has potential, but it wasn’t realised in this game.

Not a vintage performance by the midfielder, who couldn’t quite get things going for his side from an attacking perspective. Led a couple of dangerous counterattacks, but his decision to hold up play allowed good positions to go begging – frustrating because it’s clear he can do better.

At times the holding midfielder was carried away by the occasion, bundling an opponent over clumsily in his haste to get the ball or making an errant pass simply due to over ambition. On the whole, the midfielder was steady but ran out of steam after the break.

Full of positive running, though he was not used especially often as an attacking outlet due to the threat being posed down the right flank by Balima. Not afraid to shoot, though he failed to properly connect with any of his efforts on the night, with a tame first half dribbler rather summing up his efforts.

Broke regularly down the left flank but not always with an especially good end product. His energy could not be faulted but his final ball needs some work. Solid when forced to defend, with little coming down his flank.

The Moldovan league’s top scorer last term was at times a little over ambitious with his touches, trying to carry the ball beyond a defender instead of holding it up. A tireless runner, his lack of efficiency in possession was a problem for the hosts.

Basel were under a great deal of pressure at times in this game but struggled to seriously trouble the South American goalkeeper. Claimed all he had to with comfort but rarely stretched to any degree.

Undoubtedly the star of the first leg, the Swedish left-back struggled to make such a positive impact this time around. Did well when he went forward, though that was a more infrequent occurrence than it was last Wednesday, while he was beaten with relative frequency by Balima and was lucky not to be punished.

Content to go long with many of his passes, which were often directed towards the giant figure of Streller. Clearly this was something of a tactic to relieve the defence of pressure as the rearguard as a whole looked feverish when forced to perform their primary occupation.

Was something of a liability last week due to his propensity to give cheap possession away and struggled in the early moments of this encounter, when he was placed under pressure by a whirlwind of Sheriff attacks. Did improve after the break.

Not seriously tested by his opposite number but didn’t produce the kind of offensive threat that is expected of him. Particularly in the first half, the Ghanaian struggled to keep possession effectively, leading to the breakdown of moves in midfield and additional pressure on a shaky looking rearguard.

Offered a genuine threat down the left hand side, causing the Moldovans real problems, even in the first half when the hosts were on top. As his opponents tired after the break, the influence of Stocker grew and he started to cause real damage.

Hardly got a kick of the ball in the first half, when Basel’s midfield was overrun. Had the central player had a steadier game, it may well have set the platform for the Swiss to turn the game around, as they looked more comfortable when the Cameroonian improved after the break.

Would feel he had amends to make after missing a crucial penalty last week. Had a quieter performance than in the first leg, sitting back more regularly and simply keeping his discipline. Ineffective in the first half, there was a big improvement after the break.

Struggled to make a big impression down the right hand side, spending much of his time getting back to police the adventurous Volkov. Started to come back into the game as his opposite number tired, winning crucial free kicks high up the field.

Scored two goals and supplied the other, the veteran forward was on fire for Basel in the closing 20 minutes. What had gone on before was largely forgettable, but the former Metz man had looked a cut above many of his team-mates when in possession.

The lanky forward player made his first appearance of the season after fighting back from an injury. Initially appeared to be a little short of match fitness but as Sheriff lagged he played his cards, heading the opening goal of the game with a deft touch, breaking the resistance of the Moldovans.