Aston Villa secured a place in the Europa League quarter-finals with a 2-0 win over Lille at Villa Park, completing a 3-0 aggregate victory. Goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez played a pivotal role, setting up the opening goal with a quick distribution after a save.
John McGinn scored the first goal in the 55th minute, 15 seconds after Martinez saved a fierce free-kick from Nabil Bentaleb. Martinez immediately released Jadon Sancho, who set up McGinn for a composed finish. The Argentina international then provoked Lille fans with gestures, adding to his unpopularity in France following the 2022 World Cup final.
Leon Bailey sealed the win in the 85th minute, tapping into an empty net after being set up by Ollie Watkins. Villa dominated the match, with Douglas Luiz, Tammy Abraham, and Amadou Onana all having chances in the first half. Lille, who caused Villa problems in the Conference League two years ago, were largely on the back foot.
The victory sets up a quarter-final tie against Bologna, who beat Roma 4-3 after extra time. Manager Unai Emery, a Europa League specialist with four titles, is now targeting a fifth. Villa's progress continues a run of three successive European quarter-finals under Emery, who was recognised before kick-off with a tifo display celebrating his 100th win as Villa manager.
