Sevilla cruised past Russian-league club Krasnodar 3-0 here Thursday to advance as group winners to the round of 32 of the Europa League, Europe's secondary club soccer competition.&nbsp;

Needing a win to guarantee themselves a place in the knockout phase, the La Liga club played with great intensity at the outset at Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan Stadium in front of more than 34,000 fans.

The opening score came after an ill-advised clearance by Krasnodar goalkeeper Stanislav Kritsyuk was sent back into the box to Wissam Ben Yedder, who slotted home a left-footed shot in the fifth minute.

Just five minutes later, the French striker scored his 11th goal of the season - and fourth in the Europa League - when he beat a defender to a long pass and scored once again with his left foot past Kritsyuk.

The 2-0 lead at halftime took much of the pressure off the five-time UEFA Cup and Europa League champions, who could have been eliminated from this season's competition with a draw and a victory Thursday by Belgian club Standard Liege over Turkish side Akhisarspor.

All concerns then completely evaporated with the third goal, which came in the 49th minute after another play involving Ben Yedder.

Although the Frenchman missed a chance for a hat-trick when Kritsyuk saved his close-range shot, Andre Silva followed up with a header that would have gone over the line had Cristian Ramirez not stopped it with his hand.

After Ramirez was sent off for a direct red card, Ever Banega put the finishing touch on the rout by converting from the penalty spot.

Despite the loss, Krasnodar (12 points) also booked a berth in the round of 32 on Thursday out of Group J.

Standard Liege (11 points) and Akhisarspor (one point), who played to a 0-0 draw on Thursday, failed to make it out of the group phase.

Sevilla also finished their six group-stage matches with 12 points but beat out Krasnodar based on head-to-head goal difference.

Sevilla cruised past Russian-league club Krasnodar 3-0 here Thursday to advance as group winners to the round of 32 of the Europa League, Europe's secondary club soccer competition.

Sevilla cruised past Russian-league club Krasnodar 3-0 here Thursday to advance as group winners to the round of 32 of the Europa League, Europe's secondary club soccer competition. Needing a win to guarantee themselves a place in the knockout phase, the La Liga club played with great intensity at the outset at Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan Stadium in front of more than 34,000 fans. The opening score came after an ill-advised clearance by Krasnodar goalkeeper Stanislav Kritsyuk was sent back into the box to Wissam Ben Yedder, who slotted home a left-footed shot in the fifth minute. Just five minutes later, the French striker scored his 11th goal of the season - and fourth in the Europa League - when he beat a defender to a long pass and scored once again with his left foot past Kritsyuk. The 2-0 lead at halftime took much of the pressure off the five-time UEFA Cup and Europa League champions, who could have been eliminated from this season's competition with a draw and a victory Thursday by Belgian club Standard Liege over Turkish side Akhisarspor. All concerns then completely evaporated with the third goal, which came in the 49th minute after another play involving Ben Yedder. Although the Frenchman missed a chance for a hat-trick when Kritsyuk saved his close-range shot, Andre Silva followed up with a header that would have gone over the line had Cristian Ramirez not stopped it with his hand. After Ramirez was sent off for a direct red card, Ever Banega put the finishing touch on the rout by converting from the penalty spot. Despite the loss, Krasnodar (12 points) also booked a berth in the round of 32 on Thursday out of Group J. Standard Liege (11 points) and Akhisarspor (one point), who played to a 0-0 draw on Thursday, failed to make it out of the group phase. Sevilla also finished their six group-stage matches with 12 points but beat out Krasnodar based on head-to-head goal difference.

Sevilla rout Krasnodar, reach Europa League knockout phase as group winners

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