Ollie Watkins revealed that he had to rally his Aston Villa teammates at halftime during their 3-1 first-leg Europa League quarterfinal win over Bologna on Thursday.
Villa faced a challenging first half, with Bologna having a goal disallowed for offside by Santiago Castro and Lewis Ferguson hitting the crossbar. However, the visitors held firm, with Ezri Konsa scoring to give them the lead just before the interval.
Watkins extended Villa’s advantage shortly after halftime, and although Jonathan Rowe managed to score for Bologna late in the match, Watkins quickly responded with another goal in stoppage time to secure a two-goal lead.
Bologna had 19 attempts on goal and enjoyed greater possession throughout the game. Watkins acknowledged that they were fortunate to have the lead at halftime.
“It was a huge moment,” he remarked. “In the first half, they really pressured us and dominated. We were a bit lucky; I reminded the team at halftime that we needed to wake up. They had a disallowed goal, and if the score had been 1-0, it would have been tough for us because they were playing very well today.”
With this match, Watkins has now reached 12 goals for the season across all competitions, putting Villa in a strong position to secure their second semifinal appearance in three years.
“We’re really ready for the last part of the season; I feel like I could play another full match right now,” he shared. “I’m excited about the upcoming games, including next week against them—my hunger is strong.”
“Scoring at the end alleviates some pressure, and with a two-goal lead heading back to Villa Park, we’ll make it challenging for them. We just need to keep pushing; we’re in a good position.”
This victory marked Aston Villa’s eighth consecutive win in the Europa League, but manager Unai Emery noted that his team was particularly fortunate during the first half.
“I’m pleased, but we need to find balance. The first leg was a fantastic result,” he stated in an interview with TNT Sports. “While I feel good about some aspects of our performance over 90 minutes, there’s room for improvement as well.”
“In the first half, we were somewhat hesitant. The score was better than our performance—certainly not our best. The second half was a different story; we started strongly, gained control, and followed our game plan better than we did initially.”
“When we were feeling comfortable, they managed to score, but we reacted well and found the net again off a corner.”
Aston Villa will head into the second leg as strong favorites but Emery emphasized that they won’t underestimate their opponents.
“While it was a fantastic result, the second leg remains to be played, and I know they are a dangerous team with a competitive spirit,” he remarked. “In the next game, they will be looking to come at us. My message in the dressing room will be to stick to our plan and respect them accordingly.”
PA contributed to this report.