This was an anniversary of sorts for Jose Mourinho, the visit of Basle falling six years to the day since he last took charge of Chelsea in a Champions League match.
The Portuguese will reflect that he was able to recreate the sense of disappointment perfectly.
In 2007, Mourinho oversaw a draw with Rosenborg which marked the end of his last spell as manager at Stamford Bridge and he will have left the London stadium similarly put out last night, although still in his post. Chelsea were brushed aside by their Swiss visitors in their Group E opener - goals from Mohamed Salah and Marco Streller cancelling out an earlier goal from Oscar.
The Brazilian conjured the opener at the end of the first half and it enabled Chelsea to trick themselves into thinking that they had deserved some kind of advantage. The first 45 minutes had been marked by a lacklustre performance from the home side, the sort which would only have given Basle encouragement after the break.
Just 19 minutes from time, they let it show. Salah - who scored in a visit to Stamford Bridge in May - angled a shot across goal and found the bottom corner to draw Basle level. Streller then secured the win when he rose above some lowly defending from Chelsea to head in a corner with just eight minutes left.
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