Shakhtar beats Basel 4-1 to reach Europa League semis
Gelcenkirchen (Germany): Shakhtar Donetsk routed Basel 4-1 to set up a Europa League semifinal against Inter Milan. Four Brazilians scored for the Ukrainian side before Ricky van Wolfswinkel netted a consolation goal for the Swiss side.
J nior Moraes put Shakhtar ahead in the second minute by steering in a header from Marlos' corner. It was the Brazilian-born Ukraine forward's 25th goal across all competitions, coming after he scored two against Wolfsburg in the second leg of their rescheduled round-of-16 tie last week.
Afimico Pululu almost equalized with a solo effort for Basel, but Taison grabbed Shakhtar's second with a deflected shot after a fine flowing team move in the 22nd.
Marcos Ant nio almost added a third when he struck the crossbar with a curling shot in the 40th. Raoul Petretta produced a clearance to deny Moraes from the rebound.
Alan Patrick's penalty in the 75th effectively sealed the Ukrainian side's place in the semifinals, before right-back Dod added the fourth.
The tournament is being played in a shortened format in Germany because of the coronavirus pandemic, which forced all European competitions to be halted for months.
Shakhtar will play Inter in D sseldorf on Aug. 17. The final takes place in nearby Cologne four days later.
