35' Minute –
Basel had been patient—but now they looked poised.
Shaqiri began dropping deeper into the left channel, dragging Chapman toward the ball. Xhaka stepped up behind him, acting as a decoy. That one motion pulled Vélez ever so slightly right—and that was enough space.
Léo Leroy saw it.
He threaded a vertical pass through the seam—clean, sharp, the kind of pass meant to split center-backs and freeze keepers.
Ajeti broke off Bianchi's shoulder and darted into the gap.
But Fletcher had read it before the weight even left the ball.
He didn't dive in. He didn't panic.
He adjusted.
Two small steps across, hips angled just enough, and he slid—not to tackle—but to intercept. Studs low, timing exact.
He caught the ball square, redirected it across his body, and was back on his feet before Ajeti could even glance at the rebound.
Martin Fisher (commentator):
"Superb reading from Fletcher—clean, cold, perfect. That's not just defending—that's anticipation under pressure."
