ByDanny Caro, Danny Caro
Maccabi Tel Aviv limped out of the Europa League after succumbing to Basle for the second time this season.
Having been beaten by the Swiss outfit in the Champions League qualifying stages earlier in the campaign, Maccabi were unable to build on a solid performance from the first leg, which finished goalless, as the hosts ran in three goals without reply in the round of 32 second leg.
Valentin Stocker put Basle ahead after 17 minutes, and they did not look back.
Maccabi's best chance saw Yann Sommer saving brilliantly from Maharan Radi's close-range drive.
Basle stepped up a gear in the second half, with two razor sharp finishes from Marco Streller easing them through.
"We lost to a better team with a strong European tradition," said Maccabi boss Paulo Sousa.
"This was Basel’s 200th European fixture. We must strive to reach this level and develop such a tradition.”
Maccabi’s best chance came early in the second half when a close-range effort from Maharan Radi’s was superbly kept out by Yann Sommer.
Sousa said: "It was very hard to come back once we conceded the second goal. Every defeat has its effect, but we need to focus on the solution and we will now concentrate on our league campaign in the hope that we can embark on a new winning streak."
Basle will face FC Salzburg in the round of 16.