SOCCER: EUROPA LEAGUE QUARTER-FINAL, FIRST LEG:RADAMEL FALCAO scored a hat-trick as FC Porto routed Spartak Moscow 5-1 last night in the first leg of their Europa League quarter-final clash.

The Colombia striker opened the scoring in Porto with a headed goal in the 37th minute before Silvestre Varela and Maicon added to the recently crowned Portuguese champion’s advantage at its Dragon Stadium.

Kirill Kombarov scored an away goal for Spartak in the 71st minute before Falcao restored the three-goal advantage in the 84th. He took his competition-high goal tally to 10 with a second headed goal in injury-time.

The return leg is in Moscow next Thursday with the winner looking likely to play Villarreal, who routed FC Twente 5-1.

Nilmar struck twice as Villarreal outclassed Twente Enschede at El Madrigal to take a giant step towards the last four.

The Dutch side made a bright enough start to the evening, but the roof caved in on 21 minutes when Villarreal struck with their first attack of the evening.

Borja Valero’s corner was flicked on by Jose Manuel Catala at the near post as Carlos Marchena arrived unmarked to nod the ball home from a couple of yards out.

Valero sprung the offside trap to make it two on 43 minutes before Nilmar drilled home the third goal a minute into time added on in the first half.

The same pattern continued in the second period when Giuseppe Rossi bounded on to a pass by Soriano Bruno to clip home a stunning fourth goal on 55 minutes.

Nilmar added a fifth goal for the La Liga team as he thumped a low shot beyond the visiting keeper Nikolay Mihailov from the edge of the box before Marc Janko nodded a consolation for a frazzled Twente in stoppage-time.

Braga secured a 1-1 away draw against 10-man Dynamo Kiev after an own goal canceled out the host’s early lead, while, in Lisbon, Eduardo Salvio scored in each half as Benfica outclassed PSV Eindhoven 4-1.