Sulejmani double eases Ajax past Anderlecht

Three goals to the good after the first leg, AFC Ajax made little fuss of completing the job to book a UEFA Europa League round of 16 meeting with FC Spartak Moskva.

Frank de Boer's charges increased their overall buffer over RSC Anderlecht thanks to two Miralem Sulejmani goals inside 17 minutes at the Amsterdam ArenaA. Ariël Jacobs's team have now lost three successive fixtures having previously been unbeaten in ten.

Though the first of those, a week ago against Ajax, could have been different had Marcin Wasilewski not missed a penalty, this result rarely looked in doubt; Ajax sliced through at will from the outset. Siem de Jong was first to unlock the visiting defence with a cute reverse pass on 11 minutes, Sulejmani applying a clinical finish.

The Serbia forward was at least forced to round Silvio Proto having been played in by Mounir El Hamdaoui soon after, but Anderlecht's resistance remained negligible. Romelu Lukaku was the only appreciable thorn in the hosts' side, but Cheikhou Kouyaté was first to threaten their goal when he headed over a Jan Lecjaks cross.

The width which bore such fruit on that occasion was soon disposed of once more, Lukaku's physical presence through the middle causing Ajax most alarm. Substitute goalkeeper Jeroen Verhoeven, however, was given only a routine examination.

His visiting counterpart was briefly called into more stringent action, denying Lorenzo Ebecilio with his legs after a sweeping Ajax counterattack, but the Eredivisie outfit needed to stretch themselves no further.