Aston Villa & Manchester City reach FA Cup semifinals

KATHMANDU: Aston Villa has advanced to the FA Cup semifinals, defeating Preston 3-0 in Sunday’s quarterfinal clash.

Villa’s progress to the final four marks the club’s first FA Cup semifinal appearance since 2015.

Marcus Rashford played a pivotal role in Villa’s victory.

The 27-year-old forward, who joined Villa on loan from Manchester United in February, scored once and assisted in the dominant win.

Rashford, having revived his career with Villa, had recently returned to the England squad for the World Cup qualifiers against Albania and Latvia.

Rashford opened the scoring in the 58th minute with a well-taken goal from Lucas Digne’s cross. Just five minutes later, he scored again, converting a penalty after a foul on Morgan Rogers in the box. Jacob Ramsey added a third in the 71st minute, securing a comfortable victory for Villa.

Aston Villa, which has won the FA Cup seven times, last lifted the trophy in 1957. Their most recent final appearance came in 2015 when they lost 4-0 to Arsenal. V

illa’s current FA Cup run has captured the imagination of fans as they look to end their 68-year wait for the trophy.

Preston, the only non-Premier League team to reach the quarterfinals, was playing in the last eight of the FA Cup for the first time since the 1965-66 season.

Despite a valiant effort, they were unable to prevent Villa’s march to the semifinals.

Manchester City Edges Bournemouth to Reach FA Cup Semifinals

Manchester City is also through to the FA Cup semifinals, securing a 2-1 comeback victory over Bournemouth on Sunday.

Erling Haaland, despite sustaining an injury during the match, was instrumental in City’s win.

Bournemouth took the lead in the 21st minute through a goal from Iván Illán. Haaland had a penalty saved in the first half but equalized in the 49th minute.

However, the Norwegian striker was forced to leave the pitch in the 61st minute due to a knee injury.

Omar Marmoush, who replaced Haaland, proved to be the hero for City. Just two minutes after coming on, he scored the decisive goal, sending City to their seventh consecutive FA Cup semifinal.

With Haaland’s injury casting a shadow over their victory, City’s resilience continues to impress as they chase another major trophy.