Jamaldeen Jimoh-Aloba scored his first goal for Aston Villa in thrilling fashion, netting an 87th-minute winner in a 3-2 comeback victory against Salzburg during the opening phase of the Europa League on Thursday.
The 19-year-old’s decisive strike came after Tyrone Mings had equalized for Villa at Villa Park. Morgan Rogers ignited the comeback with a goal in the 64th minute after Salzburg had taken a 2-0 lead, thanks to an own goal by Victor Lindelof and a goal from Moussa Yeo.
In the first half, Villa’s hopes were hindered when Ollie Watkins was forced to leave the match due to a right hamstring issue.
“He felt something, but it doesn’t seem serious. We will assess him,” Villa head coach Unai Emery stated. “Hopefully, he will be available for Sunday.”
Despite the victory, Villa could not surpass Lyon, who remained at the top of the standings after defeating 10-man PAOK 4-2. Both teams, Lyon and Villa, have already secured their spots in the round of 16 scheduled for March.
In a show of solidarity, stadiums in France and Greece commemorated the seven PAOK fans who tragically lost their lives in a minibus accident in Romania en route to a match against Lyon.
Lyon extended its heartfelt condolences to PAOK and received supportive messages from rival Greek clubs, including Olympiakos, Panathinaikos, and Aris.
A moment of silence was observed at Groupama Stadium in Lyon, as well as in Athens where Panathinaikos faced Roma.
Similar to the Champions League, the top eight teams automatically advance to the last 16, while those ranked ninth to 24 will enter a playoff format.
The other teams finishing in the top eight include third-placed Midtjylland, Real Betis, Porto, Braga, Freiburg, and Roma.
Midtjylland, from Denmark, overcame Dinamo Zagreb 2-0 to secure their position in third place, trailing Lyon and Villa by two points.
In Seville, former Manchester United winger Antony contributed to Real Betis’s 2-1 victory over Feyenoord with one goal and an assist.
Porto came from behind to overcome Rangers 3-1, moving up from ninth to fifth place, while Braga secured a sixth-place position following a goalless draw against Go Ahead Eagles. Ten-man Freiburg dropped to ninth with a 1-0 defeat by Lille.
Jan Ziółkowski equalized for Roma in the 80th minute, resulting in a 1-1 draw against Panathinaikos.
Celtic secured one of the five remaining playoff spots on Thursday by defeating Utrecht 4-2. The playoff draw will take place on Friday.
The Scottish team jumped to a 3-0 lead within the first 20 minutes at Celtic Park, thanks to goals from Benjamin Nygren, an own goal by Nick Viergever, and a penalty from Arne Engels.
Igor Jesus scored twice for Nottingham Forest in a dominant 4-0 win over Ferencváros.