- Aston Villa 3-0 Bologna at half-time
- Ollie Watkins (16′), Emi Buendia (26′), Morgan Rogers (39′)
Aston Villa showed no signs of slowing down in the second leg of their Europa League quarter-final, picking up exactly where they left off. A dominant first half saw them storm to a 3-0 lead, thanks to clinical finishes from Ollie Watkins, Emi Buendía, and Morgan Rogers.
Beyond the commanding scoreline, the night currently belongs to Watkins, who reached a significant career milestone with his opening goal, further cementing his status as the focal point of the Villa attack.
It was a stop-start opening ten minutes, as the referee tried to stamp his authority, giving a number of free-kicks for soft fouls. Neither team had much control.
Just after the fifteen minute mark, Morgan Rogers and Emi Buendia linked up beautifully to cap off a wonderful move, where Ollie Watkins tapped it in for his 100th goal for the club. Nine players were involved in the buildup as Villa transitioned from back to front.
The Villans were then in control, looking comfortable and threatening. Then in the 25th minute, the hosts was awarded a penalty for a handball by Vitik. Rogers stepped up, and failed to convert, with Ravaglia diving to his right to keep it out.
Only a minute later, Villa got their second. From the resulting throw after the penalty save, Bologna seemed to have switched off.
Lucas Digne’s quick throw was collected by Buendia inside the box, who managed to squeeze a low finish in at the near post. A comfortable cushion, and Unai Emery’s side were cruising.
The onslaught continued as the Italian side looked shell shocked, having no answer to Villa’s attack. Rogers finally got on the scoresheet, when John McGinn slipped him in, and once again Ravaglia was beaten at the near post. A decisive finish, and the tie all wrapped up.
Villa head into the break three goals to the good.
Here are the Read AstonVilla half-time ratings:
Emi Martinez – 6
After returning from the injury that ruled him out of the 1-1 draw with Nottingham Forest, Martinez enjoyed a very quiet first half. As usual the Argentinian was in no rush on the ball, and aside from one save that nearly caught him off guard, he didn’t have much to do.
Matty Cash – 6
Like Martinez, Cash was hardly troubled by Bologna’s attack. Jonathan Rowe was restricted to next to nothing, and Villa’s attempt to play fast transitions meant the Polish international didn’t need to get forward.
Ezri Konsa – 6
Konsa also didn’t have much to do in the opening 45 minutes. The 28-year-old was on the ball more than he had to think about defending, as it was comfortable for Villa
Pau Torres – 6
The Spaniard like his centre-back partner was focused on possession rather than having to work defensively. It was a relaxed showing in the first half.
Lucas Digne – 7
Digne’s quick thinking led to Villa’s second, as his throw found Buendia in the box. Aside from one interception, the threat on right-hand side for Bologna was nullified, giving the left-back a rather easy first half.
Amadou Onana and Youri Tielemans – 6
Villa haven’t used their midfield maestros as much as they usually do, causing them to have a quiet first half. The game-plan was to move the ball quickly to catch the Italian side out, as they had to commit players forward to try and turn the deficit around. Both Belgians didn’t have a lot to do.
John McGinn – 7
The captain assisted Rogers for the third goal of the match, finding him in space just inside the edge of the box. With only seven passes made, it sums up how much work he has had to do so far.
Morgan Rogers – 8
Although he missed a penalty, Rogers managed to score his first goal in twelve matches as he pretty much wrapped up the tie for the Villans. His clever linkup play with Buendia led him to square the ball for Watkins to tap it in for the opener, as the 23-year-old finally started to make an impact.
Emi Buendia – 8
Overall, the Argentinian like most of his teammates, didn’t need to do much. His quick reactions caught Bologna napping, and he calmly tucked it past Ravaglia for the second. It was pretty solid display
Ollie Watkins – 8
Watkins’ form continued as he managed to score his 100th goal for the club, making him the leading goalscorer for Villa in European competitions of all time. Once again, he found himself in a 1v1, which he has dominated.
