David Lafata continued his Europa League hot streak with a brace as Sparta Prague went top of Group I with victory over Slovan Bratislava.
Sparta ran out 4-0 winners at Stadion Letna, one better than sides' previous meeting, with Lafata scoring his fourth and fifth of the competition.
The 33-year-old opened and closed the scoring, with Ladislav Krejci and Costa Nhamoinesu also on the scoresheet.
The game was slow to get going, Lester Peltier wasting the best early chance for the Slovakians in a contest that was rapidly descending into a drab spectacle until Sparta took the lead in the 29th minute.
It was a fittingly scrappy effort, Vacha's initial shot deflected before Lafata outfought defender Kristian Kolcak to slot home.
Bratislava barely had time to muster a response before they had conceded again, Marek Matejovsky's through ball splitting the defence and finding Krejci.
He took aim across goal and converted with a neat left-foot finish.
Sparta were pushing for a third in the closing minutes of the first half, with the visitors losing discipline, but Lafata had the best chance and left Dusan Pernis a simple save.
Bratislava were strangely becalmed once the second period got under way, unable to force themselves forward as Sparta edged towards victory.
There was little goalmouth action to speak of at either end for 20 minutes, a sequence ended only by a modest effort from Tiemoko Konate.
Lafata had not finished for the day yet, though.
His 75th-minute header from Krejci's corner took a deflection off Nhamoinesu and although Pernis made a smart save, the defender rammed home at the second attempt.
That still left time for Lafata to add to his growing European tally and he could not have had an easier chance than the open goal Pavel Kaderabek and Matejovsky laid on for him in the 84th minute.
ends
UEFA Europa League Standings
POS | Team | GP | GD | PTS |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | KAA Gent | 5 | +3 | 9 |
2 | VfL Wolfsburg | 5 | +1 | 8 |
3 | Saint-Etienne | 5 | -1 | 4 |
4 | FC Olexandriya | 5 | -3 | 3 |
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