Flawless Shakhtar ease into last 32

FC Shakhtar Donetesk booked their place in the last 32 of the UEFA Europa League with two matches to spare after beating Toulouse FC to secure their fourth straight win in Group J.

Stylish win
The competition's top scorers showed no signs of letting up in south-west France, following their 4-0 win in Ukraine a fortnight ago with another comfortable success over the same opponents. After Xavier Pentecôte had missed two presentable opportunities, the hosts were punished by second-half strikes from Luiz Adriano and Olexiy Gai, as the Ukrainian visitors qualified for the knockout stage in style. Toulouse, meanwhile, remain third, three points behind Club Brugge KV.

Pentecôte chances
The French side had started brightly, creating a golden opportunity inside six minutes. Pantxi Sirieix served Pentecôte, whose first touch took him beyond Olexandr Kucher, yet with only Andriy Pyatov to beat he flashed a shot wide. The young striker squandered another chance on 37 minutes, latching on to Kucher's weak back-header before losing control as he attempted to round Pyatov.

Sharp save
If last season's UEFA Cup winners had been happy to merely contain early on, they gradually began posing an increasing number of problems. Jadson had already forced Yohann Pelé into a sharp save when the Brazilian volleyed Darijo Srna's 45th-minute cross over. Moments later, Pelé could only look on as Luiz Adriano's effort bounced out off the bar.

Calm finish
The Shakhtar pressure continued at the start of the second half, Willian bursting clear and crossing for Luiz Adriano, who was off target. The striker made immediate amends, though, collecting Jadson's pass and turning sharply before slotting beyond Pelé on 50 minutes for his third goal against Toulouse. It got worse for Alain Casanova's men on 64 minutes as Willian outstripped Cheikh Mbengué and cut the ball back for Gai to calmly stroke in a second. Willian should have added gloss to a fine win in the last minute but he shot wide.