JAKARTA – Aston Villa opened the opportunity to the semi-finals of the Europa League after defeating Bologna 3-1, Friday, April 10, 2026 WIB early morning. The victory in the first quarter final was very meaningful because Villa won at Bologna’s home at the Renato Dall’Ara Stadium, Bologna.
Villa showed consistency in the European competition. In away games, Unai Emery’s team was able to overcome the pressure and even achieved an important 3-1 victory.
The result in the first quarter final match was a valuable capital for Villa to complete the next match. Moreover, the second match which was held at home at Villa Park Stadium, Friday, April 17, 2026 early morning WIB, Villa only needs a draw to ensure a ticket to the semifinals.
On the other hand, Bologna had to work hard because they faced an opponent with one foot already in the top four. Coach Vincenzo Italiano admitted that Villa played better and he predicted the chance to win the Europa League.
“Congratulations to them [Villa]. They were able to take advantage of our mistakes very well. In my opinion, Aston Villa will win the Europa League,” said Italiano.
“It must be admitted that we made many mistakes. This makes us frustrated,” said Italiano, who still tried to fight in the second match. “If you lose 2-1, it will certainly be different. However, we will not give up and will still fight,” he said.
Meanwhile, Emery showed his satisfaction that Villa won the away game. Not only that, the team also played consistently for 90 minutes of the match.
“I’m happy because there is a balance in the team’s game. We also got a fantastic result. How we played well for 90 minutes. In the first half, we were a little slow. But our game was better in the second half even though it wasn’t the best,” said Emery.
“In the second half, our game was very different. We started very well and dominated the game,” he said again.
Even though they were ahead with a convincing score, Emery ensured that Villa had not completely qualified. According to him, there is still a second match that determines Villa’s and Bologna’s steps.
“In that match, I predict they will try to put pressure on us. I remind the players to continue to play according to the plan in this second match. Of course, the different designs we have prepared without reducing respect for them,” he said.
In that match, Villa was indeed under pressure in the early minutes. Even defender Ezri Konsa managed to score a suicide goal in the 26th minute. Only the referee then reviewed the goal through VAR. As a result, Konsa’s suicide goal was canceled because the Bologna player was offside first.
Villa himself began to come out of the pressure and play more aggressively. In fact, Villa finally managed to break the deadlock. Konsa was back in action when he led the visiting team to an early lead towards the end of the first half.
The goal started from Youri Tielemans’ corner kick which was greeted with a header from Konsa. The goal that was created in the 44th minute gave Villa a 1-0 lead. The score remained until halftime.
Entering the second half, Villa performed better. They dominated the game and were ahead in ball possession. Not only that, The Villans didn’t take long to increase the lead when striker Ollie Watkins took advantage of Bologna’s defense in the 51st minute. The score changed to 2-0 for Villa.
Bologna actually tried to get back up. They also chased the gap when Jonathan Rowe scored in the 90th minute. This goal was late because the match was about to end.
Even worse, instead of equalizing the score, Bologna’s goal was again conceded. Watkins successfully made a brace in injury time so that Villa closed the match with a score of 3-1.
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