Aha, our match report is in…
…which means that’s it from me. Thanks for your company and comments, and do join Billy Munday for Forest v Midtjylland.
But otherwise, peace out.
[Extremely Mike Goldberg voice] Coming up next:
Scores from elsewhere
Stuttgart 1-2 Porto (90+8)
Bologna 1-1 Roma (FT)
Panathinaikos 1-0 Real Betis (FT)
I can’t say I was at all impressed with Lille. They created almost nothing, despite trying hard so to do, and it’s hard to see Villa capsizing in the return; a simply sensible performance will be enough to see them into the last eight.
FULL TIME: Lille 0-1 Aston Villa
A colossal win for Villa, not just in terms of this tie but as regards their season. They take a narrow lead into the home leg, coming up next Thursday night.
90+5 min But Lille win a throw and Bouaddi turns on the ball nicely, sliding in behind for Fernandez-Pardo … who goes down in a challenge with Konsa. There are howls for a penalty, but the defender did everything he could to be physical without making an obvious foul, and the ref says nothing doing.
90+4 min Villa have men forward but, perhaps learning from what happened to Newcastle seeking a second goal against Barca, they keep possession by moving backwards.
90+3 min A long ball … headed away by Bogarde, whose position was good. Quietly, he’s enjoyed an impressive evening.
90+2 min Digne boots Correia and is booked.
90+1 This hasn’t been an easy game, but is one we should expect Villa to win – they’re fourth in the Prem, whereas Lille are sixth in Ligue 1, and it’s barely possible to compare the money spent on the relative squads. Still, you’ve still got to do it and they were strong enough at the back, then took the chance when it materialised.
90 min “There are 13 seconds left, it’s your big chance, Harvey lad.” Elliott replaces Rogers and Villa are nearly there; we’ll have five additional minutes.
88 min Martinez is booked for timewasting, of course he is.
87 min Bouaddi digs out a decent reverse-pass, finding Correia on the right of the box and he feints, then turns inside Torres, who slides off towards Lens. But he needs to take another touch or two before poling a shot which Martinez saves, the rebound won’t fall to Giroud however much he makes eyes at it, and then the flag goes up.
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86 min If Villa can hold on here, it’ll do wonders for their confidence – and things don’t get calmer because they go to Old Trafford at the weekend, then have the return, but excuse me while I interrupt myself!
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85 min Villa win a free-kick down the right and McGinn decides this is a left-foot job, Bouaddi beating Bailey to the header, and Lille clear.
83 min Two more Villa changes, Maatsen and Bailey for Sancho and Buendia; Lille try Diaoune for Haraldsson.
82 min Martinez clears long and, when Abraham challenges for it, Rogers picks up the second ball, crossing well to the back post and Buendia is there! But rather than march on to a header, he tries a scissor-kick, able only to divert the effort into the ground and wide.
81 min The home crowd are becoming anxious, roaring shrilly as McGinn rotates on the ball in centrefield, protecting it Roy Keane-style and winning a free-kick. It’s such a simple move – Keane liked to do it with the outside of the boot, whereas this was with the inside – but so effective.
79 min …and Pau glances away then, when Perroud swerves back in, Buendia escorts it behind at cost of a shin to the mid-section from Correia.
79 min Lille win a free-kick out on the right, deep inside the Villa half…
77 min Double change for Villa, McGinn and Abraham for Luiz and Watkins. Emery – and, no doubt, his players – will be delighted to have the skipper back on the park.
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76 min Lille look to up it as Villa ready Abraham and McGinn; meantime, Fernandez-Paro moves infield off the left, curls low, hard … and too close to Martinez, who dives to shovel away.
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74 min “God damn, somewhere John Toshack has just got a shiver down his spine, writes James Humphries. “That was the sort of goal that’d get scored in the old John Smith’s ads; and, to be clear, I am fully here for it.
SECOND BALL, LADS! (taps temples, chews gum furiously) SECOND BALL!”
“Winners!”
72 min And here they come again, Watkins down the right, crossing … and unable to pick out Rogers. This is a way better game now, Bentaleb spraying a pass out wide seeking to put Correia away … but he went too soon and is offside.
70 min It wasn’t to be that time, but I’d not be at all surprised to see a second Villa goal on the counter.
68 min Ozer comes out and dives as Watkins looks to go around, forcing him to hurdle for if he doesn’t, he’s running through the keeper. That kills the chance, and the question now is whether the keeper diving in the striker’s path is a penalty; on the one hand, he’s put himself there in advance, so no; on the other, if Watkins falls, potentially hurting him, it’s a pen. The ref gives a free-kick to Lille, an outcome I didn’t think was even possible.
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68 min Lille put balls into the box but Villa are resolute and when a header finds Rogers, Luiz pokes away and Watkins is in, zooming at goal, no defender able to catch him!
66 min Double change for Lille, Meunier and Correia for Santos and Mukau.
65 min Bogarde wins a big challenge, finding Rogers, who moves out wide to Sancho. His cross is low and driven hard; Lille half-clear, but the ball eventually zips into Onana’s stride, and he lashes a shot that clips the very outside of the near post. Suddenly, Villa are on a buzz.
64 min My coverage drops out, but we’re back now, just in time to see Giroud scythe down Konsa and share some accordant sentiments with the ref; Lille are feeling the pressure.
GOAL! Lille 0-1 Aston Villa (Watkins 61)
A long, diag down the middle from Konsa, Buendia leaps with the much large Mukau, a great effort, and between them they send the ball lobbing into the box where Watkins, maybe 15 yards out, has the presence of mind to cushion a header over Ozer and in! He’s taken that beautifully, and it’s a reward for all the futile runs he’s spent the last hour making. Huge moment in the tie.
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61 min bentaleb coaxes a ball into the box and Giroud is underneath it … but he mistimes his jump sop can only float a header that plops into Martinez’s hands … then the flag goes up.
59 min Onana slides in to intercept and the ball leathers Perroud in the coupon. He needs a moment, but he’ll be fine.
57 min Lille push Vill back but can’t fid space in behind, Bouaddi wafting a ball forward that’s easily cleared before Mandi slides in behind, to no one.
56 min Onana goes down but looks to be fine; Emery will be relieved, because he can’t afford to lose another midfielder. I’d like to see more from this one, though – he’s got the physique and feet to take the ball off the defence and drive forward, but we do’t see it often enough.
54 min With the away-goals rule gone, 0-0 would be a pretty decent result for Villa, though, as I type, Fernandez-Pardo floats down the left and crosses … straight into Martinez’s gloves.
52 min Finally, Lille make their change, Fernandez-Pardo replacing Perrin.
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51 min Perrin is desperate to go off but Villa keep playing, Pau into Luiz who flicks cleverly around the corner only for Buendia to misplace the next pass.
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49 min Eeesh, Perrin has jiggered his groin, and that’ll be his evening over. Villa have started the half well, again claiming territory inside the Lille box. Watkins can’t find a teammate, but the game is more open now.
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48 min A desperate interception prevents a through-ball picking out Rogers inside the box, then the same player attacks Perroud on the outside, leathering a rising shot into the side-netting.
47 min “Seeing as you’re discussing notable Villa away kits,” begins CJ O’Carroll, “the white one with the blue and black detail they wore during the 3-0 away loss to Inter in 1990 was an absolute banger, albeit also looking like an Inter away kit.”
Remember it well and must’ve been a sickener – 2-0 up from the first leg, lose 3-0 in the second. Did Dr Jozef Venglos ever recover?
46 min We go again…
Andre, who was limping at the end of the first half can’t continue, so Bouaddi replaces him. Badabing! (No offence Benjami, old mate).
Half-time email: It’s good to see wee Lille Giroud again!” chuckles Peter Oh. “Here’s to him and football-loving OGs all over the world!”
I once met Olivier Giroud in the toilet of a club. The attendant says “You … you’re …” “Oliver Giroud?” wonders Olivier Giroud. “Yes, that’s right,” confirms the attendant.
I then hilariously interjected that we knew for sure because he was looking in the mirror zhuzhing up his hair.
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Half-time reading:
The scores form elsewhere:
Stuttgard 1-2 Porto
Bologna 0-0 Roma
Panathinaikos 0-0 Real Betis
HALF-TIME: Lille 0-0 Aston Villa
Lots of bluster, not much quality. The best chance fell to Giroud, who ought to have done better with his glancing header, but the keepers have had little to do.
45+2 min Rogers moves in off the right, weaving between two challenges and contemplating a shot, but the lane for it closes, forcing him backwards. No matter: he quickly gets the ball back, shoots low, and the ball is deflected behind; the ref says goalkick, but it makes no odds because he then blows up.
45 min We’ll have two additional minutes. Villa won’t be delighted with how they’ve played, but will be happy enough with the score.
43 min Perroud advances with the ball, lets go a skidder, and all Martinez can do is parry back into play … but Pau saves him, on his toes to run back and clear. Lille, though, maintain prerssure, wining and wasting a pair of corners.
42 min santos into Haraldsson, who holds up then knooks back and this time, he goes infield to Andre, who flips a return over the top and towards the by-line. So Santos flies towards it, stretches into a decent cross, and Giroud is in front of Pau, glancing a near-post header … just wide. That’s exactly the kind of chance he’s looking for, and one you expect him to gobble up.
41 min Yes, I know “‘Remember when’ is the lowest form of conversation”, but that Spurs side lost one of the great FA Cup finals, featuring one of the great goals.
39 min “Just waking up in Sydney,” brags Paul Hardy, “and catching up on the game so far. That 86 Villa kit with the horizontal stripes brings back some memories. As a 10-year-old I got chosen to be the mascot for the first game of the season at home to Spurs. It was the season Clive Allen scored lots and he started off with a hat-trick in a 3-0 thumping. Was a great day out but got used to poor results quickly as a childhood Villa fan. It’s nice to have a bit more optimism these days!”
That Spurs team was very serious. I went to see them whack my team too, so easily Mitchell Thomas bagged a brace including an overhead kick – it was, I think, Hoddle’s last game at White Hart Lane.
38 min Bogarde down the right and he crosses low, but Mandi again times his intervention nicely. He knows how to defend.
37 min It’s not been much of a half – neither side has created even a half-chance – but I’ve seen enough to think there’s a decent tie in this. Let’s hope the teams find it.
34 min “Race week in Cheltenham but the rain/hour means the Frog is mercifully less full of horse-enthusiast cosplay than it might be.
Broadly disagree about Pau/Ty – both seem to have excellent brains, but Ty’s sometimes seems better suited to sensibly reasoned social commentary than football. Given the need for an absence of brain-fartery in the context of this match, Pau is my pick – plus, the quality of ball he can play might help the lack of forward momentum we seem to have in midfield at the moment.
As for Sancho … I think he’s been OK. Maybe even moving towards good, in moments. But if I could have done anything at all at the end of last season, I’d have moved mountains to keep Asensio. Buendia’s renaissance has provided mostly adequate cover, and he wouldn’t have solved the Tielemans/Kamara shaped holes we have at the moment, but I enjoyed every Asensio performance I saw in a Villa shirt.
With McGinn heading back and Tielemans presumably getting closer, the one mercy about Man Utd at the weekend is that Carrick has ditched the wing-backs. Wing-back systems seem to short circuit the Emery tactical brain (see, Crystal Palace, repeatedly); it’s highly curious for a manager of such obvious tactical chops to have such a recurring tactical weakness. Any thoughts?”
Sancho does my head in – I don’t understand how he got so far in the game without the edge most pros have, which I guess tells us how talented he is. In terms of Emery, two in midfield against a team with three and a spare man or men at the back makes it hard to control midfield.
33 min Giroud turns one around the corner to Perroud, in behind and in space; he cuts across a cut-back, Mukou arrives on to it … and sweeps just wide. He’ll be relieved to see the flag go up for offside.
31 min The corner comes to nowt, but the flow of this game might just’ve changed. Villa are looking to go forward now, and though they’ve not created a chance, they’re threatening in behind.
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30 min Long ball over the top, just too long for Watkins, then Rogers drives through midfield and finds Onana, lanking along at inside-left … and Watkins is in the middle! His low cross is a goodun too, but Mandi does really well to slide in and intercept at cost of a corner.
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28 min Sanch finds space down the right, but an insipid pass means he’s lucky to win a corner … which comes to nowt.
27 min “I’m surprised not to have seen this encounter billed as the Joe Cole derby,” chortles Darrien Bold.
Funny you say this, in all the years I’ve been writing these blogs, perhaps m very favourite bit came doing a Liverpool game – another club he’s famed for representing – and he was subbed, so I got to say “that’s the hook right there.”
26 min Buendia is picking up pockets now, filling that space between the lines. Villa need to keep hitting him, because he looks their most likely creator.
25 min Now Villa build down the left, Luiz’s shot from the edge blocked at source. But this is much better, another cross half-cleared and now it’s the visitors popping it about – though unlike them, Lille are looking to press and win the ball back.
24 min Bit of Villa possession, a lofted ball from Bogarde finding Watkins, whose chest control takes it behind Mbemba pawing at him then letting go.
22 min Talking of kits, the Villa way offering is not dissimilar to the one Boro wore in 1997.
20 min But this is much better Sancho pulling infield off the flank before flicking a pass back outside with the outside of his boot, finding Rogers rampaging into the space he vacated. The resultant cross flies beyond the back post, but that’s the best we’ve seen of Villa so far – a low bar, granted, but it’s something.
19 min And Mbemba is up but heads directly into the nearest defender and Villa clear. Lille, though, pick up possession with Haraldsson, who finds Santos, and his attempted cross hits Digne ricochets back into him, and goes behind for a goalkick. Villa have done nothing remotely offensive yet [insert gag here].
18 min Mbemba down the side for Giroud, but Pau is across quickly to intercept, only to knock behind for a corner. Perrin will swing it out…
15 min Villa’s 4-4-2 is, I think a bit rigid – they’re playing in lines, without much movement between, especially to the ball. It’s helping them shut down space, but for now, at least, they’re struggling to find or create it.
13 min “Le Coq Sportif,” says Andrew Darnton. “Where are they now?”
I’m not sure but this offering is I think, one of the greats. Plain, evocative, art.
12 min Giroud closes Martinez, but he finds a nice little pass between the lines to feed Onana and Villa bring the ball away, but Lille soon win it back and begin dictating once more, Bentaleb finding Andre who wellies crossfield … but just too hard, Perroud unable to keep it in play.
9 min Rogers carries into the Vila half and is tugged back; the Lille players who’ve been fasting take the opportunity to eat and drink. Ramadan Karim, lads – and to anyone else celebrating.
8 min Villa emerge into the game, playing a little higher up the pitch, only for Luiz to clatter Haraldsson – “Someone you have to get in and around,” reckons Keown, without quite explaining what that entails.
7 min Villa have yet to venture out of their own half, sitting back as Lille probe. And as I type, Sancho is caught in possession – I may just stick those words on my clipboard – but the ball runs back to Pau, who gets rid.
5 min And what a mullet. Understated, but oh so bouncy.
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4 min ““Incidentally – and pedantically – that’s the 83-85 kit,” says Allan Castle. “Keown arrived in 86. But your point stands. It’s a banger!”
Yes, I was just thinking that – he wore the Mita kit with the horizontal stripes, also good though less so and a picture of which I couldn’t find.
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2 min When the sides last met, Martinez got involved with the home fans, so there’s plenty of jeering as he clears. The ground isn’t full or even close to it, but the noise isn’t bad at all – even if it’s the more drony ultra-style of the same song over and over again.
1 min Mbemba flights a speculative pass down the right and Lille mass to contest the second ball, but eventually the ball goes behind for Villa goalkick.
1 min Away we go!
Lille have got the old tifo going, a big banner of a woman with a sword, above the words “French never die”. Surely they can come up with a better slogan than that.
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I’ve actually been to Lille away twice, but never been to a game in Lille. The first time, the famous Fergie Out one in 2005, was in Paris, and the second, the famous Lille flouncing off the pitch and teargas game in 2007, was in Lens. Tonight, though, they’re at home.
…and here they come!
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Our teams are tunnelled…
I actually think Forest have a chance of doing something in this competition – any side with a Sangare/Anderson/Gibbs-White midfield can be a difficult night for anyone. Otherwise, though, I’m looking at the Stuttgart v Porto tie, though Roma, who visit Bologna in the other early game, are also worth paying attention to.
“These guys will be seeing a big web traffic spike,” notes my colleague Luke McLaughlin. “Emery won’t want a wooden performance.”
Nor a big old log cabin of one, says 11 -year-old 47-year-old me.
Emery, of course, is a Europa League specialist, having won it four times – thrice with Sevilla and once with Villarreal – and this is a proper chance to do so again. In form, Villa might well be the best side in this competition – as they should be, given the money they’ve spent – and it’s his job to get them ready to deliver the best version of themselves now it’s getting tight.
Emery laughs that he doesn’t yet know if the week off has been beneficial, but they needed time to recover confidence and this is a huge test to see if Villa can get their form back.
The team have been really good in this competition so far, but they know what a hard game it is having lost in Lille two years ago. The atmosphere will be hot but his team feel they can keep their structure and good things they do from now until the end of the season.
Otherwise, he says McGinn is important in the dressing room as well as on the pitch and should be able to play some minutes tonight.
As for Lille, they’ll use Giroud as a pivot, playing into him with Perrin and Haraldsson looking to run by seeking flicks and flick-ons. They’ll know there’s often space in behind Digne, so will, I’m sure target that area, with André making third-man runs into the box.
So where is the game? Well, Villa will look to get Rogers on the ball, coming inside off the left. He won’t keep the width in attack, which’ll be supplied by Lucas Digne; rather, he’ll wander about in the inside-left half-space looking to get shots off. Otherwise, Buendia will slip balls down the sides of the centre-backs for Ollie Watkins, while Amadou Onana and Douglas Luiz look to bottle up the middle of the pitch in front of the defence.
Tangentially, the kit Keown wore when he started at Villa is an absolute jazzer.
Martin Keown thinks Villa are going to win. More news as I get it.
Also going on:
Otherwise, i’d not be at all surprised to see Giroud stick himself on Pau Torres, who is a lovely passer but doesn’t have much in the way of speed or strength; I guess he’s in to build attacks, but Tyrone Mings would be a better match-up, especially away from home.
I don’t know, I’d not be playing Jadon Sancho wide right in a 4-4-2, ever – he doesn’t have the pace, power or desire to go on the outside, nor is he someone upon who I’d rely to get back. That said, though Uefa think Villa are playing that formation, TNT have gone for a 4-2-3-1, which is also feasible given the personnel.
As for Villa, headline news is that John McGinn is back but on the bench; otherwise there are four changes to the side spanked by Chelsea with Matty Cash, Tyrone Mings, Ian Maatsen and Leon Bailey left out; Lucas Digne, Pau Torres, Lamare Bogarde and Jadon Sancho come in.
I can’t lie, I’m disappointed we’ll not get to see Ayyoub Bouaddi from the start – I’ve heard great things – and he’s one of three changes to the side that drew 1-1 with Lorient on Sunday. His spot in midfield goes to Ngal’Ayel Mukau while, at the back, Chancel Mbemba replaces Nathan Ngoy and up front, Mathias Fernande-Pardo drops out with young Olivier Giroud coming in.
Teams!
Lille (4-3-3): Ozer; Santos, Mbemba, Mandi, Perroud; Mukou, Andre, Bentaleb; Perrin, Giroud, Haraldsson. Subs: Bodart, Lanssade, Ngoy, Alexsandro, Fernandez-Pardo, Miller, Edjouma, Verdonk, Correia, Bouaddi, Diaoune, Boussadia.
Aston Villa (4-4-2): Martinez; Bogarde, Konsa, Pau, Digne; Sancho, Luiz, Onana, Rogers; Buendia, Watkins. Subs: Bizot, Wright, Mings, Lindelof, Maatsen, Garcia, McGinn, Elliott, Bailey, Abraham.
Referee: José María Sánchez (Spain)
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Preamble
Football is weird and so are people – that’s one reason we’re all here. But even by the standard, Aston Villa are in the midst of a weird season, still with plenty of scope for epochal glory and abject failure.
They opened the season poorly, failing to win in their first six games, but from there, Unai Emery’s men went on a run of 17 from 19, playing not that well, before the Ghost of xG past began its haunting; the following 15 fixtures yielded just six victories and they arrive at this one having lost three and drawn one of their last four. As such, the Champions League spot that looked almost certain to be theirs is now in serious jeopardy, while tonight’s tie, against the sixth-best team in Ligue 1, looks a lot more losable that would previously have been the case.
It’s not difficult to grasp why: any team would miss players as good as Boubacar Kamara and Youri Tielemans, never mind at the same time, with Matt E. Cash freshly absent. But, at the same time, this doesn’t explain why they’ve scored nine goals fewer than the next-worst in the Premier League top six, while the home tousing they took from Chelsea last time out highlighted their vulnerability to channel-balls in behind, the issue systemic rather than one of personnel.
However, club captain John McGinn is fit again, his return bringing an uplift as much mental as technical, and with attackers as talented as Morgan Rogers and Emi Buendía in their XI, they’re always a game away from clicking. They know that, in form, they’ve a serious shot at immortality but, out of it, only regret and shame await. And because football and people are weird, those of us without skin in the game now get to enjoy watching them squirm.
Kick-off: 5.45pm GMT
