Bologna 1-3 Aston Villa highlights: Ollie Watkins strikes twice in Europa League quarter-final first leg

Aston Villa withstood intense pressure to earn a first win in Italy at the fourth attempt and a first-leg advantage in their Europa League quarter-final opener.

Match in brief: Villa claim first-leg win

Coming into the game on a club-record 11-match unbeaten Europa League run, Bologna repeatedly threatened an opener and almost succeeded when Emiliano Martínez pawed Juan Miranda's acrobatic drive behind and Lewis Ferguson volleyed Jonathan Rowe's cross against the underside of the crossbar.

Visiting captain John McGinn curled an effort narrowly wide from distance, but Villa had not fashioned an attempt on target before Ezri Konsa met a corner by Youri Tielemans – starting for the first time since returning from a long-term ankle injury – with a header at the far post to break the deadlock just before half-time.

A persistently dangerous presence, Rowe hurtled along the left early in the second half and located Tommaso Pobega to scoop the ball narrowly over the target, and I Rossoblù were left to rue near-misses when Watkins pounced to double the advantage.

Ezri Konsa heads his first goal of Villa's campaignAFP via Getty Images

The scorer of the only goal in Villa's win at Lille in the last 16, Watkins took his chance again with a ruthless display of composure when Emiliano Buendía's interception fell to him inside the box, slotting through Federico Ravaglia's legs.

I Rossoblù rallied, Federico Bernardeschi shooting against a post from close range and Rowe forcing Martínez to tip behind at full stretch with a curling shot from just inside the penalty area.

The Englishman finally beat Martínez from similar range with added time looming, only for Watkins to restore Villa's two-goal first-leg advantage by bringing a Tielemans corner down in front of goal added time and firing in his second.

Line-ups

Bologna: Ravaglia, Pobega (Moro 67), Freuler (Cambiaghi 90), Castro (Odgaard 82), Bernardeschi, Rowe, Heggem, Mário, Ferguson (Orsolini 67), Lucumi, Miranda

Aston Villa: Martínez, Cash, Konsa, McGinn, Tielemans, Buendía (Bailey 88), Watkins, Digne, Torres, Onana (Bogarde 80), Rogers (Maatsen 88)

Paolo Menicucci, reporting from Stadio Renato Dall'Ara

Aston Villa gave Bologna a lesson in clinical play by capitalising on their opportunities. Vincenzo Italiano's team created plenty of chances but failed to do what matters most in football: put the ball in the back of the net. Jonathan Rowe's goal seemed to have given the Italian side more of a foothold late on, but that third Villa goal has put the visitors in the driving seat to reach the semi-finals. 

Reaction

Ollie Watkins, Aston Villa striker: "We got the goal from the set piece and that kind of took the sting out of the game. They were dominant before that, but just before half-time is a great time to score. At half-time I said to the boys, 'Come on lads, we need to wake up.' We got the second and then we felt we always were going to score more. [Rowe] was causing all sorts of problems. It was a great finish for his goal and, at 2-1, it was all to play for."

Unai Emery, Aston Villa head coach: "It's a really fantastic result. Maybe in the first half we were a little hesitant. We were not brilliant, but we were focused. We knew set pieces should be a way to get something. The second half was completely different and we started fantastically. For 20 or 30 minutes, we dominated. Even after Bologna scored, the way we reacted was fantastic. My message inside the dressing room is to keep respecting what Bologna can do in the second leg."

Jonathan Rowe has two goals and two assists in his last three Europa League matchesGetty Images

Federico Bernardeschi, Bologna winger: "It's a pity; we played a great game against a very strong team and deserved more. At this level experience counts and Aston Villa probably had more, as they made fewer mistakes and made the most of ours. Making it 2-1 was one thing, but the third goal changes everything for the return leg. We can't concede in the last minute of added time and that should teach us a lot. We need to grow. We shouldn't have conceded that goal."

Vincenzo Italiano, Bologna coach: "We are really disappointed because we deserved a different result for our performance. We dominated the first half and created enough chances to win the game. Now we will try to put in another good performance in the return leg and see what happens. Ahead of the game I told the lads that in games like this, you always have to keep your focus. Unfortunately, tonight we made too many mistakes."

Key stats

• Bologna are winless in their six European matches against English teams (D1 L5).
• They have lost the first leg in only two of their last 18 two-legged European ties (W11 D5) and advanced from 13 of their last 16 two-legged European ties.
• This was only Bologna's third defeat in their last 34 European home matches (W19 D12).
• The Coppa Italia holders are taking part in their first quarter‑final in the Europa League era – their debut season in the competition. They reached the last eight twice in the UEFA Cup, losing 3-1 on aggregate to Sporting CP in 1990/91 and beating Lyon 3-2 on aggregate in 1998/99.
• Bologna's 11-game unbeaten run in the competition had comprised seven wins and four draws since a 1-0 loss away to Aston Villa on Matchday 1.
• Rowe has two goals and two assists in his last three Europa League appearances.
• Villa are unbeaten in five matches against Italian opposition (W4 D1) but had lost all three of their previous away games in Italy.
• They have won all three European meetings between these sides, with the previous two played in Birmingham: 2-0 in the 2024/25 Champions League league phase and that Matchday 1 victory.
• Villa's current run of 14 wins in their last 16 European matches (L2) – including each of their most recent eight – is the longest winning streak in the club's history.
• The Villans have won one and lost two of their three two‑legged ties against Italian clubs, their sole victory coming most recently in a penalty shoot‑out win over Inter in the 1994/95 UEFA Cup first round.
• This is Villa's first quarter‑final in the Europa League era. They reached the last eight twice in the UEFA Cup, losing 4-3 on aggregate to Barcelona in 1977/78 and going out on away goals against Atlético de Madrid in 1997/98.