McGinn’s Early Goal Gives Aston Villa First Win of Season in Europa League

Aston Villa celebrated their first victory of the 2025-26 season, defeating Bologna 1-0 in their Europa League opener at Villa Park, thanks to a 13th-minute goal from captain John McGinn. The Scottish midfielder’s low left-footed shot from outside the box beat goalkeeper Lukasz Skorupski, providing a much-needed boost for the English side. Despite a second-half penalty miss by substitute Ollie Watkins, Villa held firm to secure three points in the 36-team league phase, a format mirroring the Champions League where teams play eight different opponents.

Villa’s domestic campaign has been lacklustre, with no wins in five Premier League matches, three draws, two losses, and a single goal scored, alongside an early exit from the English League Cup. However, manager Unai Emery, the Europa League’s most successful coach with four titles (three with Sevilla, one with Villarreal), leveraged his European expertise to steer Villa to victory. This match, a rematch of last season’s 2-0 Champions League win over Bologna where McGinn also scored, underscored Villa’s stronger European form, maintaining their unbeaten home record in continental competitions over seven matches.

Elsewhere, Rangers’ struggles continued with a 1-0 loss to Genk at Ibrox Stadium, intensifying pressure on coach Russell Martin. Despite goalkeeper Jack Butland saving a penalty, Rangers, reduced to 10 men after Mohamed Diomande’s red card, conceded to Oh Hyeon-gyu’s second-half strike. In other matches, Lille secured a 2-1 win over Brann, with 38-year-old Olivier Giroud heading a late winner.

Panathinaikos thrashed Young Boys 4-1, powered by Anass Zaroury’s hat-trick, while Stuttgart defeated Celta Vigo 2-1, Lyon edged Utrecht 1-0, and Porto beat Salzburg 1-0. Hungarian champions Ferencváros drew 1-1 with Viktoria Plzen despite playing with 10 men.

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The opening round, split over two days, saw competitive action across the board. On Wednesday, Real Betis salvaged a 2-2 draw against Nottingham Forest with a late Antony equaliser. As the Europa League progresses, Villa’s win offers hope for a turnaround under Emery’s guidance, while other clubs vie for momentum in the expanded format, with the top eight teams advancing directly to the round of 16 and others entering knockout playoffs.

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