Aston Villa Secure Europa League Semi-Final Spot After Crushing Sloppy Bologna

Aston Villa will face Nottingham Forest in an all-English UEFA Europa League semi-final after a dominant 7-1 aggregate win over Bologna at Villa Park.

With a 3-1 lead from the first leg already in hand, Villa backed it up with another strong performance under Unai Emery, who has lifted the Europa League four times, as they moved closer to ending their 30-year wait for silverware.

The Premier League side added to their advantage early on, going ahead in the 16th minute when Ollie Watkins finished off a well-worked move to score his 100th goal for the club in all competitions.

Villa struck again after Bologna lost focus at the back, as Buendia reacted quickest to Lucas Digne’s long throw and calmly slotted past Ravaglia for his second European goal of the season.

Morgan Rogers then made amends for his earlier penalty miss by scoring from a tight angle with his weaker left foot, after being picked out by captain John McGinn, ending his 11-game goal drought.

Defender Ezri Konsa also got on the scoresheet once more, following up his first-leg goal with a sharp volley from a corner in the 89th minute to complete a comfortable night for Villa.

With this victory, Aston Villa are now set to face their Premier League rivals Nottingham Forest in the all-important UEFA Europa League semi-finals. It is expected to be a thrilling contest as both sides understand each other’s strengths and weaknesses very well.