Kubo strikes twice as Young Boys beat Slovan

• Guillaume Hoarau opens scoring with ninth-minute penalty
• Seydouba Soumah draws Slovan level with their first Group I goal
• Yuya Kubo strikes in each half to put Young Boys in command
• Swiss side remain in with a chance of reaching the knockout stage
• Next games: Young Boys v Sparta, Napoli v Slovan Bratislava (11 December)

BSC Young Boys kept alive their hopes of reaching the knockout phase with a convincing 3-1 victory away to ŠK Slovan Bratislava in Group I of the UEFA Europa League.

Yuya Kubo scored twice to consign the Slovak side to a fifth successive defeat and ensure that Young Boys host AC Sparta Praha in a fortnight with everything to play for.

Young Boys went ahead in the ninth minute when Guillaume Hoarau notched his fourth of the group stage from the penalty spot, firing low to Dušan Perniš's right after Dávid Hudák had handled in the area.

Slovan were not behind for long, drawing level with their first goal of the group stage. Seydouba Soumah took the ball off Milan Vilotić near the halfway line then raced forward before shooting past Yvon Mvogo in the Young Boys goal.

Japanese striker Kubo restored Young Boys' lead seven minutes later with his first goal in European competition. Jan Lecjaks's free-kick into the box was headed across goal by Scott Sutter to the 20-year-old who turned it in at the far post.

Young Boys came close to increasing their advantage early in the second half when Perniš saved from Renato Steffen, then got the cushion they required when Kubo tapped in Sutter's pass from the right for his second of the night in the 63rd minute.