Wayne Routledge netted a brace to help Swansea comfortably sweep aside Romanian team Petrolul Ploiesti, putting them in a strong position to reach the Europa League group stage for the first time. Routledge started the proceedings with a deflected strike off Petrolul's Ovidiu Hoban, Michu capitalised on a loose ball to make it two and Routledge finished his first half brace with a header at the far post. Swansea started the tie brightly with a constant threat from the wings with both the wingers and full backs delivering balls into the danger zone. However it was a cleverly worked, quickly taken free kick by Jonjo Shelvey that gave Routledge his opportunity to open the scoring. Shelvey was the creator again as his well weighted cross found Pablo Hernandez at the far post. The Spaniard's effort was parried away by Pecanha in the Petrolul goal but the ever opportunistic Michu was there to put away the loose ball. It took just another three minutes to make it three. Routledge struck again, latching onto a deep Hernandez cross to add a rare headed goal to his repertoire. It was almost a hatrick for the winger too, but after being played through by Michu, he could only put the ball narrowly over the bar. The second half continued in the same vein as the first, constant Swansea pressure and maintaining possession throughout. Wilfried Bony almost made it four but his effort was unknowingly nudged onto the crossbar by the Petrolul 'keeper. Pecanha, the Petrolul goalkeeper, was involved with Bony once again ten minutes later but this time conceding an own goal, after a goal line scramble, to make it four to the Swans. With their goal tally from the previous round matched, Swansea still maintained pressure on the Romanian side. Substitute Alejandro Pozuelo made it five after some very slick link play between Jonathan de Guzman and Michu to play on the young Spaniard, who coolly dispatched a chipped finish. However after all Swansea's dominance and attacking prowess, it was Petrolul's Gheorghe Grozav who scored the goal of the evening. The hotly rated Romanian put away an elegantly executed overhead kick from a Guilherme cross to deny Swansea a clean sheet. The win, in the end, was straightforward for Swansea and the four goal margin will all but secure their place in the group stages. Michael Laudrup will now be looking on to Sunday's big league fixture against Tottenham and will hope that important players such as Bony, Michu and Britton will not be too fatigued after tonight's 90 minutes.
