Following last week’s 1-1 draw in Switzerland, the two teams will have both felt they had a real opportunity to reach the tournament proper in the Danish capital.
As such, it was perhaps understandable that the first half was dominated by nerves from both outfits, with the encounter riddled with imprecision. Even Basel captain Xherdan Shaqiri, a player accustomed to big occasions under the lights, struggled to keep his composure amongst the raucous atmosphere.
Generally, the game was played at a frantic pace, with clear-cut opportunities at a premium. The hosts looked slightly more dangerous early on as Léo Leroy fired a shot wide before Dominik Schmied forced namesake Dominik Kotarski into action around the 20-minute mark, while Magnus Mattsson tested Marwin Hitz at the other end shortly after.
The next, and final shot on target prior to the interval came from the boot of Moritz Broschinski less than two minutes before the HT whistle, but Kotarski was more than equal to it.
There was a distinct lack of quality prior to the break, but Copenhagen produced some within 60 seconds of the restart. Allowed plenty of space from deep, Elias Achouri curled in a pinpoint cross onto Andreas Cornelius’ head, and the striker powered a header into the bottom corner.
That goal breathed life into the contest, and Jordan Larsson narrowly poked over not long after. Before the hour mark, Basel had two chances to restore parity; first, Kotarski closed down Shaqiri and denied the former Switzerland international, before the shot-stopper produced an impressive stop to keep out Broschinski’s effort from close range.
However, Basel were subsequently unable to exert any kind of sustained pressure after those two opportunities and, in the final 10 minutes, it was Copenhagen who instead put the game to bed.
During a lightning-quick counter-attack, Viktor Claesson was felled by Adrian Leon Barišić, earning a penalty for his side. From 12 yards, substitute Youssoufa Moukoko made no mistake, sending Hitz the wrong way to send his team to the elite.
After missing out on last season’s league phase, Copenhagen are back in the competition thanks to an efficient performance on home soil. Following a difficult few years, Basel will be disappointed not to crown their resurgence with a journey in Europe’s premier club competition, but they can at least console themselves with a place in the UEFA Europa League.