Cologne, Berlin wrap up victories in UEFA Europa League

Yuya Osako's brace helped Cologne overpower Bate Borisov 5-2, while Hertha Berlin moved past Zorya 2-0 on double strikes from Davie Selke in the fourth round of the Europa League group stage here.

Cologne got their first win in Europe on Thursday after crushing resilient Bate Borisov with four second-half goals in Group H, reports Xinhua news agency.

Cologne secured a bright start in front of the home crowd as Simon Zoller opened the scoring after capitalising on a through ball from Salih Oezcan 16 minutes into the game.

The visitors from Belarus stayed strong and responded through Nemanja Milunovic, who tapped home a free kick from Aleksei Rios to restore parity.

Bate gained momentum and turned the tide after Rios' pinpoint cross found Nikolai Signevich, who made it 2-1 on the scoreboard with an overhead kick two minutes later.

Cologne wobbled and needed half time to recover from Bate's comeback. However, it took the "Billy Goats" nine minutes in the second half to level the scores as Bate failed to clear the ball from the area, allowing substitute Yuya Osako to slot home from close range.

The hosts gained momentum and grabbed the lead for a second time as Sehrou Guirassy unleashed a free-kick hammer to get his name on the score sheets in the 63rd minute.

Cologne weren't done with the scoring, and added another two goals through Osako, who sealed his brace as well as through Milos Jojic, who headed home the 5-2 lead in the dying minutes of the game.

After the fourth round, Arsenal leads Group H with 10 points, followed by Crvena Zvezda (five), Bate Borisov (four) and Cologne (three).

Elsewhere, Hertha Berlin edged Zorya Luhansk 2-0 on two goals from Davie Selke to keep their campaign in Europe alive.

Selke smoothed the way for the crucial victory 16 minutes into the match before he made the game safe in the 73rd minute with his second goal of the night.

Oestersunds tops Group J with seven points, followed by Zorya Luhansk (six), Athletic Club (five) and Hertha Berlin (four).

--IANS

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