Roma goalscorer Stephan El Shaarawy was delighted with their 3-0 Europa League win against Shakhtar Donetsk.

Lorenzo Pellegrini, El Shaarawy and Gianluca Mancini got the goals in the first leg of the Europa League Round of 16.

“We proved our character and determination in a game that was very tough, which we knew because our coach also worked with them and told us what to expect," El Shaarawy told Sky Italia.

“We put in a good performance, having a result like this in the first half certainly boosts our confidence. It'll be a tough game in Ukraine too and it's not over yet.

“I wanted this return to Roma, but I was ready to wait for my moment and now I am very happy."