JAKARTA - Aston Villa opened the door to the Europa League quarter-finals after picking up a crucial 1-0 win over Lille in the first leg of the last 16 at the Stade Pierre Mauroy, Friday, March 13, 2026 WIB.
The victory is very meaningful because Villa won on the road. Especially after they reaped bad results in the English Premier League competition. How not, Villa swallowed two defeats against Wolverhampton Wanderers (2-0) and Chelsea (4-1) which made them lose their position in the top three.
While reaping bad results in the domestic competition, Villa actually achieved success in the Europa League. They recorded a record of eight wins from nine matches in the qualifying phase.
The positive trend continued when The Villans competed in the 16th round. In the first match held at the opponent's home, Unai Emery's team successfully won 1-0.
The victory brought them the opportunity to qualify for the quarter-finals. This is because in the second match which was held at home at Villa Park, Friday, March 20, 2026 early morning WIB, Villa only needed a draw to eliminate the opponent.
The 1982 Champions Cup champions are keeping their chances of ending a 30-year trophy drought. They last won a trophy in 1996 when they won the English League Cup.
In the 100th match that Emery played as Villa manager, they had to work hard against Lille, who were strengthened by veteran striker Oliver Giroud. Meanwhile, Indonesian national team player Calvin Verdonk was not played even though he was on the bench.
Villa had trouble breaking down the home team's defense. They could only break the deadlock when striker Ollie Watkins broke Lille's goal in the 60th minute. Watkins' header was the only goal in the match.
Villa also won the match with a 1-0 lead. This is the first victory in the last five matches in various competitions. Emery was also satisfied with his team's achievements in away games. Even though he won, Emery said Villa had not qualified for the quarter finals. There is still one match to be played and Lille still has the opportunity to turn things around.
"We tried to start the match well and test Lille's tactical game. In the first half, the match was a draw. There was no difference between the two teams. In my opinion, we played better and dominated in the second half. This is what made us able to score a goal," said Emery as quoted by the UEFA website.
"At halftime, the players said the difficulties they faced throughout the first half. We also discussed the difficulties experienced by Premier League teams in the Champions League. And, the players gave a very good response," he said.
"We won 1-0, but this is only the first 90 minutes. Lille once lost 1-0 against Red Star and they were able to turn things around. So, I hope they play better in the next match," he said again.
However, Emery does not want players to think about the second match in order to survive in the Europa League. Before hosting Lille, they played a big match against Manchester United in the league match this weekend.
A very important match to fight for the third position and keep the chances in the Champions League zone. Man Utd who knocked Villa to fourth place so they were threatened by Chelsea and Liverpool.
"We have an important game in Manchester. Next, I also want to play against Lille again," said Watkins.
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