In a tense Europa League quarter-final first leg held in Bologna, Italy on Thursday, England striker Ollie Watkins delivered a clinical two-goal performance that put Aston Villa firmly on course for a spot in the competition’s semi-finals, following a hard-earned 3-1 away win over their Italian hosts.
The result leaves Unai Emery’s side with a comfortable two-goal cushion heading into the second leg next week at Villa Park in Birmingham, and keeps alive their hopes of lifting a first major domestic or European trophy in nearly three decades — their last silverware came back in 1995, when they claimed the English League Cup. If Villa advance, they will face the winner of the remaining quarter-final tie between Porto and Premier League side Nottingham Forest in the last four.
Bologna, who came into the match on a seven-match winning streak across all competitions in away fixtures, put in a spirited performance that could have completely shifted the outcome of the night. The Italian side hit the woodwork twice in the first half, and thought they had taken an early lead when a potential Ezra Konsa own goal was ruled out by the offside flag, with Santiago Castro judged to have strayed just offside when he got a touch on the ball before it deflected off Konsa. The moment cut short wild celebrations from the packed home crowd, and only minutes later, Bologna’s Lewis Ferguson saw a clear chance poke off the underside of the crossbar and bounce away from the goal line.
It was Konsa, however, who would break the deadlock right on the stroke of half-time, delivering a sucker punch to the hosts. The England defender held off Bologna centre-back Jhon Lucumi after goalkeeper Federico Ravaglia failed to properly clear Youri Tielemans’ corner, nodding the ball into an empty net to open the scoring. The goal marked Konsa’s first for the club since last May, while the assist from Tielemans was a welcome boost for Emery: it came in the Belgian midfielder’s first start since January, as Emery juggles his side’s Europa League push with a fight to secure a top-five finish in the Premier League.
Five minutes into the second half, Watkins doubled Villa’s lead, capitalizing on a careless giveaway from Bologna right-back Torbjorn Heggem inside his own penalty area. The striker, who is currently pushing for a spot in England’s upcoming international squad, calmly slotted the ball between Ravaglia’s legs to put Villa in a commanding position.
Bologna kept pressing forward throughout the second half, with winger Federico Bernardeschi hitting the outside of the post with one effort. In the 90th minute, Jonathan Rowe finally got the home side on the scoresheet with a brilliant late finish, giving Bologna hope heading into the return leg. But just moments later, deep into stoppage time, an unmarked Watkins pounced on another Villa corner to prod home his second of the night, extending the visitors’ lead before the teams travel to Birmingham.
Speaking to TNT Sports after the final whistle, Watkins emphasized his side’s momentum and his own sharpness as the end of the season approaches. “Just before half time is a great time to score. We got the second after half time and then we felt we always were going to score more,” he said. “Back end of the season I’m raring to go. I could play another 90 minutes. I’m excited for the next few games. I’m hungry.”
Emery, a four-time winner of the Europa League who knows what it takes to go all the way in the competition, is now heavily favored to guide his side through to the semi-finals. For Bologna, all three of Villa’s goals came from unforced errors, a point Bernardeschi acknowledged after the match. Speaking to Sky Sport Italy, the Italian winger said, “If we want to take that step up then we can’t make these kinds of mistakes… Anything can happen (in the second leg), but tonight should teach us a lesson.”
Villa have now beaten Bologna three times across the last two seasons, including two wins in this year’s Europa League campaign, but the Italian side remains alive in the tie, with 90 minutes in Birmingham still to come to turn the result around.