Aston Villa began their Europa League campaign on a high, with John McGinn’s early strike securing a hard-fought 1-0 win over Bologna at Villa Park on Thursday. Meanwhile, Olivier Giroud came off the bench to net a dramatic late winner as Lille edged SK Brann 2-1 in another thrilling Group Stage encounter.
McGinn’s 13th-minute goal proved decisive for Villa. A well-worked short corner created space for the Scottish midfielder just outside the box, and his low, precise strike curled into the bottom corner, leaving Bologna keeper Lukasz Skorupski helpless.
Villa had a chance to double their advantage in the 68th minute when Ollie Watkins was brought down by Martin Vitik and awarded a penalty. However, Skorupski kept his side in the game with a comfortable save. Bologna nearly drew level moments later when Santiago Castro’s fierce header rattled the crossbar.
In Lille, substitute Olivier Giroud turned the game on its head in the 80th minute. The 38-year-old leapt above the defence to meet a pinpoint cross with a powerful header, giving Lille a 2-1 victory over Norwegian side Brann, who were playing in Europe for the first time in 18 years.
The match was littered with near-misses, with four efforts hitting the woodwork, but Giroud’s late intervention sealed the win for the French side.
Other Europa League action
Genk 1-0 Rangers: Rangers were reduced to 10 men before halftime following Mohamed Diomande’s sending-off. Oh Hyeon-gyu’s 55th-minute strike settled the match for Genk.
VfB Stuttgart 2-1 Celta Vigo: Second-half goals from Badredine Bouanani and Bilal El Khannouss gave Stuttgart their first win of the campaign.
Utrecht 0-1 Lyon: Tanner Tessmann’s stunning first-time long-range strike in the 75th minute handed Lyon a narrow win.
Porto 1-0 Salzburg: William Gomes scored deep into stoppage time to deliver a dramatic victory for the Portuguese side.
© 2025