Shakhtar Donetsk brush off Basel to book Europa League semi-final spot
Shakhtar Donetsk stormed through to the Europa League semi-finals with an impressive 4-1 win over FC Basel.
The result never looked in doubt for Shakhtar in Gelsenkirchen from the moment they took the lead in the second minute.
The Ukrainian side will face Italian giants Inter Milan in Monday’s semi-final.
Junior Moraes headed home from a Marlos cross to give his side an early lead and Shakhtar continued to dominate and soon doubled their advantage, with Taison’s shot deflecting past goalkeeper Djordje Nikolic and into the back of the net in the 22nd minute.
Alan Patrick expertly converted a penalty for his side’s third in the 75th minute, striking the ball into the roof of the net.
Shakhtar had the game sealed and stretched their advantage when Dodo added a fourth in the 88th minute, firing the ball in from the right.
Basel struggled to make their mark on the game, but managed to score a consolation goal, with former Norwich striker Ricky van Wolfswinkel tapping the ball in from close range.
Get FourFourTwo Newsletter
The best features, fun and footballing quizzes, straight to your inbox every week.
‘After Manchester City’s recent form, maybe they’re the underdogs against Manchester United!’ Former Red Devils defender on this weekend’s derby
‘Arteta, Alonso, Emery, me… none of us were physical players – we needed the understanding of the game. That probably helped us move into management’: Premier League boss reveals reasons for natural career progression