Noah Okafor outshined his compatriot Stephen Odey as Basel defeated Swiss Cup holder Zurich 3-1 in the first-leg semi-final game on Thursday.
Okafor opened the scoring five minutes into the encounter after he was set up by Ricky Van Wolfswinkel to put his side on the path of victory.
Zdravko Kuzmanovic doubled Basel’s lead in the 87th minute while Abian Ajeti wrapped up the win as Odey’s late-minute effort ended as a mere consolation.
Okafor was replaced by Edon Zhegrova moments before the end of the game while Odey featured for the entire duration of the match and was cautioned in the 82nd minute.