Aston Villa defeated Fenerbahce 1-0 away to advance to the last 16 of the Europa League.
Jadon Sancho’s first-half header (his first goal for Villa) was ultimately the winner, but the winger could have easily scored two more goals, but Matty Cash hit the post, Marco Bizzotto made some super saves at the other end, and both Villa and Fenerbahce had their goal celebrations interrupted by VAR checks.
Dramatically, Kerem Akturkoglu’s 75th-minute shot sent the home fans into a frenzy and looked to boost Fenerbahce’s own hopes of qualification, but ex-Villa striker John Duran was ruled out for offside in the build-up. They are currently heading into the playoffs.
However, Villa will avoid those extra two games. They are level on points with Lyon, who also won their penultimate game, and are assured of a top-eight finish ahead of next week’s final league game at home against RB Salzburg.
It was Villa’s sixth win in seven games in the Europa League this season, and the tournament marked Unai Emery’s 100th game as manager. His prospects of winning the Europa League for the fifth time and returning to Istanbul for the final remain strong.
It could have and should have been simpler, with poor touch from Sancho on either side of half-time and a golden opportunity to add to the score being missed. VAR then found that Ismail Yuksek went offside before entering his own goal under pressure from Morgan Rodgers.
Cash also fired low against the uprights in the second half, feeding Sancho with a deflected cross.
Tense moments then ensued until the final whistle, and once the match started Bizzotto repeatedly denied sub Talisca.
The tension in the heated atmosphere at Fenerbahce’s rain-soaked stadium was evident from the moment the substitute Emery and Youri Tielemans clashed in the closing stages. The head coach pushed the otherwise unimpressive midfielder and didn’t shake Tielemans’ hand when they exchanged a few words as he passed.
But regardless of that altercation, Villa will be proud of having bounced back from the disappointing defeat to Everton in the Premier League at the weekend and taking a big step forward in Europe.
Sancho scores first goal for Villa, growing under Emery
Aston Villa winger Jadon Sancho told TNT Sports: “I’m happy to score my first goal for Aston Villa. I was practicing my header in training and I pointed at Ezri (Konsa) at the end.”
“The coach and the team are helping me do my best. I know I can do more. I’m hard on myself in that respect.”
“[Emery]keeps telling me to stay positive. It’s nice to have a manager who supports you and obviously believes in you. Hopefully I can score more goals.”
