Bologna vs Aston Villa

Aston Villa delivered a composed away display at Stadio Renato Dall'Ara, beating Bologna 3-1 in the UEFA Europa League quarter-final first leg. The defining moment came just before the break, when goalkeeper Ravaglia gifted Ezri Konsa a free header from a corner, the big defender nodding in to put the visitors ahead in the 44th minute. Ollie Watkins doubled the advantage six minutes into the second half, pouncing on a sloppy Bologna build-up and sliding past Ravaglia. The hosts had their moments — Santiago Castro saw a goal chalked off for offside in the 26th minute, Lewis Ferguson struck the crossbar, and Bernardeschi hit the post late on. Jonathan Rowe finally beat the Villa keeper in the 90th minute with a fierce right-footed curler, only for Watkins to immediately restore the two-goal lead, finishing unmarked from a corner in the 93rd. Aston Villa travel back to Birmingham with a healthy advantage and Lucumi's yellow card means Bologna will also be without the defender for the second leg, making their comeback mission even steeper.