UECL: Mathias Oyewusi’s brace inspires Zalgiris’ comeback against Basel

Mathias Oyewusi scored a brace to help FK Zalgiris come from two goals down to draw 2-2 with FC Basel in Switzerland in the UEFA Europa Conference League (UECL) on Thursday.

Within the opening two minutes, the ball fell into the path of Andy Diouf, who produced a thunderous long-range effort that set Basel on the way.

After witnessing his teammate produce the spectacular, Andi Zeqiri doubled Basel’s lead in the 18th minute, after he smartly controlled the ball with his left foot before firing home with his right.

The host continued to dominate in the first half until Marwin Hitz gifted Zalgiris a lifeline shortly before halftime when he allowed Oyewusi to charge down his attempted clearance, which rebounded into the awaiting net.

With momentum in their favour, Zalgiris coach Vladimir Cheburin attempted to capitalise by introducing Francis Kyeremeh at halftime.

The substitute waited until just after the hour mark to make his impact when his piercing through ball found Mathias Oyewusi, who directed his accurate shot beyond Hitz.

The Zalgiris leveler set up an intriguing finish, where both teams were desperate to win.

As a result of the draw, Basel head into the final matchday knowing a point will secure them a place in the knockout round, while Zalgiris will need to beat Slovan Bratislava to stand any chance of advancing.