Europa League: Shakhtar beat Basel 4-1 to reach semifinals

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Shakhtar Donetsk routed Basel 4-1 on Tuesday 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.

Júnior 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 Antônio 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 Dodô 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 Düsseldorf on Aug. 17. The final takes place in nearby Cologne four days later.