Europa League: Chelsea thrash D.Kiev to make final 8

By Can Erozden

ANKARA (AA) - English football powerhouse Chelsea hammered Ukrainian opponents Dinamo Kiev 5-0 on Thursday to reach the UEFA Europa League quarterfinals.

Chelsea's French striker Olivier Giroud made a hat-trick against Dinamo Kiev in Ukraine as the key player in his team's victory.

The other scorers for Chelsea were Spanish left-back Marcos Alonso and English winger Callum Hudson-Odoi.

Chelsea won 8-0 on aggregate as they previously beat Dinamo Kiev 3-0 in London.

Eliminating Dinamo Kiev, Chelsea -- nicknamed the Blues -- advanced to the quarterfinals.

Chelsea were the 2013 UEFA Europa League winners.

In addition to Chelsea, Italian club Napoli and Spain's Valencia qualified for the next round in the tournament.

The UEFA Europa League quarterfinal draw ceremony will be held on Friday in Switzerland.

- Round of 16 results:

Krasnodar (Russia) - Valencia (Spain): 1-1 (Agg: 2-3)

Salzburg (Austria) - Napoli (Italy): 3-1 (Agg: 3-4)

Dinamo Kiev (Ukraine) - Chelsea (England): 0-5 (Agg: 0-8)

- The rest of Thursday's fixtures:

Inter Milan (Italy) - Frankfurt (Germany)

Benfica (Portugal) - Dinamo Zagreb (Croatia)

Slavia Prague (Czech Republic) - Sevilla (Spain)

Arsenal (England) - Rennes (France)

Villarreal (Spain) - Zenit (Russia)