Aston Villa beat Bologna 3-1, close in on Europa semis
Bologna captain Lewis Ferguson came close shortly after, only to see his effort crash against the crossbar.
KATHMANDU: Aston Villa moved a step closer to the semifinals with an impressive 3-1 victory over Bologna in the first leg of their UEFA Europa League quarterfinal clash.
The match at Stadio Renato Dall’Ara began at a high tempo, with both sides showing attacking intent.
Bologna thought they had taken an early lead through Santiago Castro, but the goal was ruled out after a VAR review for offside.
Bologna captain Lewis Ferguson came close shortly after, only to see his effort crash against the crossbar.
Villa capitalized before halftime, taking the lead in the 44th minute when Ezri Konsa headed in from a corner delivered by Youri Tielemans.
The visitors doubled their advantage early in the second half. A costly mistake from Bologna allowed Emiliano Buendía to set up Ollie Watkins, who finished clinically to make it 2-0.
Bologna pulled one back late on through Jonathan Rowe, whose curling strike in the 90th minute gave the hosts a glimmer of hope.
However, Villa had the final say in stoppage time. Another dangerous corner from Tielemans led to a scramble in the box, and Watkins reacted quickest to score his second of the night, sealing a crucial 3-1 win.
The result gives Aston Villa a strong advantage heading into the second leg, with Watkins continuing his fine European form by contributing directly to goals in three consecutive matches.
