UEFA Europa League, Round of 16 second leg, 19/03/2026
After winning the first leg 1-0, Aston Villa completed the job and eliminated Lille OSC from the UEFA Europa League round of 16 in a 2-0 win at Villa Park.
The first half was played at a strange tempo. Villa already held the lead after the first leg and didn’t need to push their advantage, while Lille were wary of their hosts’ threat in transition and were wary of letting the game become stretched.
The result was that the game felt like a late-season affair between two midtable teams with nothing to play for. Lille were far too cautious and unable to put too much pressure on Villa, with Giroud leading the press.
It took until the 42nd minute before the first shot on target was registered between either side. Amadou Onana was found in the box off a corner and headed goalwards. His shot was hit with pace, but Berke Özer was more than a match for it.
There was more life from Lille immediately after the restart when Thomas Meunier searched for Giroud in the box. The retired France international ducked underneath the cross, and the danger was shepherded out for a corner.
Lille kept up the pressure, but were sucker punched for their efforts in the 54th minute. Nabil Bentaleb fired at Emiliano Martínez’s goal from a free kick, forcing a diving save from the Villa keeper. Martínez leapt to his feet and launched the counter, finding Jadon Sancho. The winger attacked the box, dragging the defenders wide before setting up John McGinn for the finish.
With nothing left to lose, Lille were forced to throw numbers forward. A game state that looked as if it could get ugly for the visitors, with Villa provided acres of space with which to run into on the counter. In the 86th minute, the threat was delivered on with substitutes combining as Ollie Watkins teed up Leon Bailey to give the 3-0 win on aggregate.
Berke Özer, 4
Romain Perraud, 4
Alexsandro, 6
A good outing from the centre-back before he was replaced in the second half, he did well to keep Jadon Sancho quiet in the first half and made a couple of vital interventions. Not too much he could do about the opening goal when Lille’s structure was ripped apart.
Chancel Mbemba, 4
Nathan Ngoy, 5
Thomas Meunier, 5
Nabil Bentaleb, 6
Ayyoub Bouaddi, 5
Not his best game and far from his worst. He had a good cameo off the bench last week, but tonight he was sometimes left in awkward situations. He offered some threat in a subdued first half, but couldn’t pull the trigger. Substituted in the second half.
Félix Correia, 3
Olivier Giroud, 2
Rested at the weekend, the striker didn’t look like the right choice for this match. He was too easily beaten in the box and offered little off the ball. For a player who was thought to be signed as a super-sub, he’s started a lot this season and delivered little.
Ngal’ayel Mukau, 4
Emiliano Martínez, 8
Him again. The goalkeeper didn’t have to do much, but his involvement proved crucial, making the save to deny Bentaleb, and then spotting the run of Sancho to give Villa the winner. No love lost between himself and the Lille faithful, and he won’t care. He’s beaten them again.
John McGinn, 7
Jadon Sancho, 7
Tammy Abraham, 5
