Basel Frauen took all three points against St. Gallen Frauen with a 1-0 win in the National League A, Regular Season round 4 on Friday evening. A. Berti ended a barren spell with the only goal in the ninth minute, and the hosts kept their advantage until the final whistle. The result moves Basel up to fourth on six points while St. Gallen remain eighth with three.
And here's the thing about that opening exchange — the ball found Berti before most people had settled into their seats. She finished cleanly, and the away side never really found a way through after that. To be fair, St. Gallen had something to prove after their heavy defeat to Luzern women last weekend, but the pressure told.
Basel's recent form has been patchy. They lost 2-1 to Luzern women at the start of August, then beat Young Boys 2-0, but the 1-2 defeat to Servette women on Saturday showed the cracks can appear quickly. This win keeps them within touching distance of the top four, though the line hasn't moved far.
St. Gallen's situation is more delicate. They beat Everton 1-0 in mid-August, but two defeats since — including that 3-1 loss to Luzern — have put them under the cosh. They had beaten Basel 1-0 back in May, so there's history between them that adds an edge. By then, the table looked very different.
Three points from four games puts Basel in a reasonable position, but they need consistency now. St. Gallen must regroup quickly if they want to avoid slipping further down. The gap between them is three points, and in this league nothing stays still for long.