Aston Villa secured a 2-0 win against Lille in the second leg of their Europa League round of 16 match at Villa Park on Thursday, advancing 3-0 on aggregate.
Villa dominated possession early on, but it was Lille who created the first opportunity. Ayyoub Bouaddi connected with Alexsandro’s cross, yet he headed the ball wide.
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Amadou Onana nearly broke the deadlock in the 42nd minute, meeting a corner from John McGinn, but his header was saved by Berke Ozer.
After halftime, Emiliano Martinez thwarted a free-kick attempt from Nabil Bentaleb and quickly transitioned from defense to offense.
The Argentine goalkeeper launched a rapid Villa counterattack, finding Jadon Sancho, who set up John McGinn for a clean finish into the bottom corner.
Oliver Giroud thought he had equalized for Lille with a goal from Bouaddi’s lofted pass, but his effort was ruled offside.
Ollie Watkins came close to extending Villa’s lead, but his shot from the edge of the box narrowly missed the target.
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Sancho hit the post with a shot from the right side as Villa continued their pursuit of a second goal.
Leon Bailey ultimately doubled Villa’s lead, tapping in a pass from Watkins to clinch the victory.
Aston Villa will now face Bologna in the quarter-finals.