Shakhtar 3-0 Wolfsburg (agg: 5-1): Pitmen pound weary Wolfsburg

Júnior Moraes struck twice either side of a Manor Solomon finish as Shakhtar finished off a listless-looking Wolfsburg in the UEFA Europa League round of 16.

Match in brief

Already 2-1 down from the first leg, Wolfsburg were fortunate to make it to the break at 0-0 after a dominant first-half display from the hosts, Marlos hitting the post and goalkeeper Koen Casteels making some key interventions. The visitors were handed a man advantage following Davit Khocholava's dismissal for a foul on João Victor on 68 minutes, but Wolfsburg's John Brooks was sent off just two minutes later.

The German side looked a little livelier with ten men, yet buckled after Júnior Moraes finished first-time from Dodô's ball on 89 minutes. Manor Solomon swiftly made it 2-0 and Júnior Moraes dispossessed the dawdling opposition to add a third almost straight from the restart.

View from the stadium: Bogdan Buga, Shakhtar reporter

Júnior Moraes has a shot on goalAFP via Getty Images

Shakhtar were the better team as their fluent passing and lightning-fast thrusts drained Wolfsburg. They moved the ball from the back very quickly, giving their guests no chance to counter, and the only real surprise was that they took so long to make a breakthrough. However, they took full advantage once the dam burst. Encouragingly, the Pitmen kept a first clean sheet in 27 UEFA games – a positive sign as they prepare for the final tournament in Germany.

Visitors' view: Jordan Maciel, Wolfsburg reporter

In the end, Wolfsburg simply didn't do enough to reverse their first-leg arrears, and can have no complaints with the outcome of this tie. The long post-Bundesliga break perhaps explained a jaded showing on the night against a superior and fitter Shakhtar side. The hosts left it late to get their goals, but they would have had more but for Wolfsburg custodian Casteels.

Reaction

Luís Castro, Shakhtar coach: "The game left a very positive impression. We were really good, almost all of the time. Wolfsburg started well and pressed us up the pitch for ten or 15 minutes, so we couldn’t use space the way we like to, but we changed our game and created a lot of chances. I counted five great opportunities before the interval. In the second half, our aim was to score and win the game. We didn't just want to play it out. I'm delighted with the way we converted our chances."

Oliver Glasner, Wolfsburg coach: "Shakhtar were the better and more mature team in both games. There was one moment at 0-0, with an extra man, where we could have turned the game. Against such a good team, we really needed to put that free-kick and the extra man to better use. By the end, we lacked the belief and energy."

Key stats

• Shakhtar kept a clean sheet after conceding in their previous 26 European matches.
• The Pitmen are unbeaten in ten games since domestic football resumed in Ukraine in May (W8 D2).
• An 11th win in their last 13 home matches edges Shakhtar a step closer to the trophy they lifted as the UEFA Cup in 2009.
• Shakhtar have scored two goals or more in eight of their last ten fixtures.
• Wolfsburg failed to score for the first time in ten European matches; their run of nine unbeaten UEFA Europa League away games (W5 D4) ends.

Shakhtar line up for the second legAFP via Getty Images

Line-ups

Team: Pyatov (c); Matviyenko, Khocholava, Kryvtsov, Dodô; Taison (Konoplyanka 86), Stepanenko, Alan Patrick, Marcos Antônio (Kovalenko 74), Marlos (Solomon 77); Júnior Moraes

Team: Casteels (c); Tisserand, Pongračić, Brooks; Brekalo (Guilavogui 76), Schlager, Arnold, Roussilon (Klaus 83); Victor, Weghorst, Ginczek (Marmoush 61)

What's next?

Shakhtar play Basel at 21:00 CET on Tuesday in Gelsenkirchen for a place in the semi-finals.