Catch up with all the drama from Aston Villa vs Young Boys in the Europa League…
Aston Villa moved a step closer to securing qualification from the Europa League’s first phase with a 2-1 win over Young Boys at Villa Park.
It was a result shaped largely by a dominant first-half performance and a clinical showing from Donyell Malen, who scored both goals.
The Swiss side rallied late and halved the deficit through substitute Joel Monteiro, but Villa’s control across the first hour was ultimately enough to secure the points.
Match overview
Villa set the tone from the opening whistle, immediately asserting control in possession and forcing Young Boys to defend deep.
Malen tested keeper Keller inside three minutes, before Amadou Onana and Malen himself came close with early half-chances. Young Boys struggled to progress the ball through midfield and instead looked long with limited success.
The breakthrough arrived on 27 minutes and had been coming. Youri Tielemans held his position on the right, taking a pass from Bogarde before delivering a measured curling cross into the danger area.
Malen, having just missed a gilt-edged chance minutes earlier, made amends with a precise header guided low into the bottom right corner.
Malen then doubled the lead shortly before the interval, capping a standout team move. Morgan Rogers surged from deep, weaving past challenges before slipping the ball across to Malen, who shifted inside and dispatched a controlled finish across Keller.
Young Boys failed to muster a shot on target in the first half, a clear indicator of Villa’s dominance.
There was a brief stoppage due to crowd disturbance, with Malen being hit with items from the crowd after scoring his first goal, but it did not derail Villa’s focus.
The hosts continued to create chances, Sancho denied by a last-ditch block in stoppage time as Villa pushed for a third before half-time.
Second half
The pattern continued after the restart. Sancho forced Keller into a smart low save following a defensive error, and Malen had a hat-trick goal ruled out for offside.
As the hour mark passed, Young Boys began to tire and both managers turned to their benches. Villa introduced Buendia, Watkins, Barkley and Konsa, while the visitors added fresh legs in attack with Virginius, Sanches and later Bedia and Monteiro.
With 20 minutes remaining, Young Boys threatened a route back when Bedia appeared to score within seconds of his introduction, but VAR confirmed that the initial cross had come from an offside position.
Villa responded with further attacks, Watkins stinging Keller’s gloves and Sancho slicing wide after breaking through the defensive line.
The visitors finally found a foothold with time almost up. A long aerial ball found Monteiro, who shrugged off his marker and chest-controlled superbly before unleashing a powerful volley past Martinez.
It set up a tense finish, and whistles echoed around Villa Park as the hosts worked to see out the final minutes. Maatsen was booked for time-wasting, but Unai Emery’s side held on for a big win.
