Aston Villa faced off against Bologna at the Renato Dall’Ara Stadium earlier tonight as they hoped to secure a good result on the road in the first leg of their UEFA Europa League quarterfinal clash. The Villans made a solid start to the game and took the lead in the 44th minute when Ezri Konsa found the back of the net. Unai Emery’s men were leading 1-0 at the half-time break.
Ollie Watkins doubled his team’s advantage in the 51st minute. However, the home team got a goal back thanks to Jonathan Rowe’s goal in the 90th minute. Watkins scored again in injury time as Aston Villa earned an impressive 3-1 win away from home.
Let’s take a look at how each Aston Villa player fared during the clash against Bologna.
He made a few solid saves at the back but failed to keep a clean sheet.
RB: Matty Cash – 6.5/10
Cash cleared his lines when he could, but offered very little going forward.
CB: Ezri Konsa – 7/10
He put his foot through the ball when needed and was tidy with his passing.
CB: Pau Torres – 7/10
Torres made two crucial clearances at the back and was a good presence on the ball.
BOLOGNA, ITALY – APRIL 09: Unai Emery, Manager of Aston Villa, reacts on the sidelines during the UEFA Europa League 2025/26 Quarter-Final Leg One match between Bologna FC 1909 and Aston Villa FC at Stadio Renato Dall’Ara on April 09, 2026 in Bologna, Italy. (Photo by Alessandro Sabattini/Getty Images)
LB: Lucas Digne – 6.5/10
He did his fair share of defending and won a couple of aerial duels.
RM: John McGinn – 6.5/10
McGinn worked hard but struggled to get a foothold in the game.
CM: Amadou Onana – 7/10
He anchored the midfield well but lacked quality in the final third.
CM: Youri Tielemans – 8/10
Tielemans earned the ball back twice and engineered some decent chances in the final third. He has got a couple of assists to show for his efforts.
LM: Emi Buendia – 7.5/10
He caught the eye at times on the left flank and ended the game with an assist to his name.
ST: Morgan Rogers – 7/10
Rogers caused some headaches for the opposition defenders, but didn’t do enough to register a goal.
ST: Ollie Watkins – 8.5/10
He caused a lot of headaches for his marker and managed to score twice in the second half to help his team earn the victory.
CM: Lamare Bogarde – 6/10
