SAVED PENALTYpublished at 68 mins
Aston Villa 1-0 Bologna
The drought goes on for Ollie Watkins.
Watkins rolls the penalty down the middle and Lukasz Skorupski, having already dived, stops it with his leg.
Summary
Follow Aston Villa v Bologna, plus Thursday's other Europa League ties
McGinn fizzes in opener from distance, Watkins misses penalty
Villa looking for first win of season
Follow Rangers v Genk here
SAVED PENALTYpublished at 68 mins
Postpublished at 21:27 BST
Aston Villa 1-0 Bologna
Ollie Watkins, on a nine-game goal drought, to take.
Postpublished at 21:27 BST
Aston Villa 1-0 Bologna
The penalty decision stands.
Video Assistant Refereepublished at 21:26 BST
Aston Villa 1-0 Bologna
There is a VAR check though. Was Ollie Watkins offside when he made his run?
PENALTY TO VILLApublished at 66 mins
Aston Villa 1-0 Bologna
Ollie Watkins is chopped down by Martin Vitík and Villa have a penalty.
Image source, Getty ImagesPostpublished at 64 mins
Aston Villa 1-0 Bologna
Good pace by Evann Guessand to get into the Bologna box before being tackled.
Genk take lead at Rangerspublished at 21:22 BST
Rangers 0-1 Genk
A blow for Rangers as Genk take the lead.
Jack Butland had earlier saved a penalty but he is beaten now as ex-Celtic striker Oh Hyeon-gyu strikes with a low finish into the corner.
Follow dedicated coverage of this game here.
Image source, PA MediaPostpublished at 63 mins
Aston Villa 1-0 Bologna
Good sliding tackle by Martin Vitik to stop Ollie Watkins having a tap-in from Evann Guessand's pass.
Postpublished at 61 mins
Aston Villa 1-0 Bologna
Santiago Castro and Nicolo Cambiaghi both have shots blocked before the offside flag goes up.
Postpublished at 60 mins
Aston Villa 1-0 Bologna
Ollie Watkins is down holding his face after being caught by the arm of Martin Vitík. He's OK though.
Postpublished at 21:18 BST
Aston Villa 1-0 Bologna
Robbie Savage
Forest Green manager on TNT SportsThe crowd are chanting for Ollie Watkins. Maybe he can get a goal and get up and running for this season.
get involved Get Involvedpublished at 21:18 BST
Comment on the top of this page to get involved
Villa need to push and press forward more, creating more chances, to try and get that second goal, then a third one to seal the match.
David
Postpublished at 21:18 BST
Aston Villa 1-0 Bologna
Ollie Watkins hasn't scored since May. The same is true of Jadon Sancho, whose last goal was for Chelsea in the Conference League final.
SUBSTITUTIONpublished at 58 mins
Aston Villa 1-0 Bologna
Villa send on Ollie Watkins and Jadon Sancho for Emiliano Buendia and Donyell Malen.
Image source, Getty ImagesPostpublished at 56 mins
Aston Villa 1-0 Bologna
Villa right-back Matty Cash beats his man well and swings in a cross but it's over the head of Emiliano Buendia.
get involved Get Involvedpublished at 21:14 BST
Comment at the top of this page to get involved
Villa haven't had any issues getting into goal scoring positions in this match, the final product just seems to be lacking. It's a shame they couldn't get a permanent deal for Asensio, he seemed so good at finding something out of nowhere.
Harry
Postpublished at 55 mins
Aston Villa 1-0 Bologna
Villa forward Evann Guessand knocks over a defender unfairly while trying to get onto a long ball but the keeper gets there first anyway.
Elsewhere in Europepublished at 21:13 BST
Stuttgart have dominated against Celta Vigo and they finally take the lead as Badredine Bouanani gives the hosts the lead.
No other goals to tell you about elsewhere, however.
Postpublished at 52 mins
Aston Villa 1-0 Bologna
Villa get a bit lucky as Santiago Castro air-kicks an attempted volley from 12 yards out and slips over.
Postpublished at 21:11 BST
Aston Villa 1-0 Bologna
Nick Mashiter
BBC Sport football news reporter at Villa ParkIt has been a positive opening to the second half for Bologna. A few early nerves creeping in at Villa Park.
Image source, EPA
John McGinn scored his first goal since Aston Villa's Champions League quarter-final defeat to Paris St-Germain in April
At a glance
John McGinn gives Aston Villa the lead
Ollie Watkins has his penalty saved by Lukasz Skorupski
Santiago Castro hits the bar for Bologna
Captain John McGinn fired nervy Aston Villa to their first win of the season as they edged past Bologna.
Unai Emery's side began their Europa League campaign with an unconvincing victory against the limited Italians.
Villa did little to persuade those watching that their early-season slump is over, producing a tentative display in their league phase opener, with Ollie Watkins also missing a second-half penalty.
At least it ended their wait for a win following a week in which president of football operations Monchi departed and was replaced by former Real Sociedad sporting director Roberto Olabe.
Villa's winner came early when McGinn struck from the edge of the box, his second goal against the Italians after netting in the Champions League last season.
Evann Guessand had already been denied by Lukasz Skorupski while the goalkeeper also saved from the lively Donyell Malen as Villa chased a second.
Yet the hosts lost their momentum and Bologna sensed a comeback with Federico Bernardeschi testing Marco Bizot soon after the break.
Skorupski then saved Watkins' weak penalty, after the striker was brought down, to give Bologna further hope and Santiago Castro's header hit the bar with 20 minutes left.
Bologna also nearly grabbed a last-gasp leveller but Bizot kept out Martin Vitik's header.
Villa find their win but drastic improvement needed
Aston Villa hauled themselves across the line for a victory that gets their season under way but they are a long way from what is expected of them.
Their last European game at Villa Park was a swashbuckling, dramatic and heroic 3-2 Champions League quarter-final second leg win over Paris St-Germain in April which pushed the eventual champions - who squeezed through 5-4 on aggregate - to the limit.
Fast forward to September and Villa are lacking confidence and conviction as they tackle Europe again.
Watkins' missed second-half penalty summed up the lack of belief at Villa Park against an average Bologna who nearly grabbed a point, but for Bizot's late save to deny Vitik.
They got the job done but did nothing to show they are out of their rut. A positive start gave way to a stuttering display which better and more ruthless teams - in Europe and the Premier League - will punish.
It gives them something to build on before Sunday's visit of Fulham but the loss of form of Morgan Rogers and Watkins - both so pivotal last season - is a growing concern.
Unai Emery has so often squeezed every drop out of this Villa side since he joined just under three years ago but he needs to find some extra juice now.
The bar has been so high under Emery it is no wonder the questions about Villa's form and performance as there. And there needs to be a drastic improvement to even get close to those previous heights.
What is next for these teams?
Aston Villa host Fulham in the Premier League on Sunday before travelling to Feyenoord next Thursday for their second Europa League game.
Bologna face two away games next week as they go to Lecce in Serie A and SC Freiburg in the Europa League on Thursday.
Where next?
How to play
Rate players out of 10 for this game. The rater will close 30 minutes after the final whistle. You must be signed in to a BBC account to play.
1 Give it up
10 Pure perfection
Number: 40 M. Bizot
Number: 22 I. Maatsen
Number: 14 Pau Torres
Number: 4 E. Konsa
Number: 2 M. Cash
Number: 44 B. Kamara
Number: 7 J. McGinn
Number: 10 E. Buendía
Number: 27 M. Rogers
Number: 29 E. Guessand
Number: 17 D. Malen
Substitutes
Number: 12 L. Digne
Number: 19 J. Sancho
Number: 11 O. Watkins
Number: 1 Ł. Skorupski
Number: 22 C. Lykogiannis
Number: 26 J. Lucumí
Number: 41 M. Vitík
Number: 20 N. Zortea
Number: 28 N. Cambiaghi
Number: 8 R. Freuler
Number: 19 L. Ferguson
Number: 10 F. Bernardeschi
Number: 21 J. Odgaard
Number: 9 S. Castro
Substitutes
Number: 24 T. Dallinga
Number: 80 G. Fabbian
Number: 2 E. Holm
Number: 7 R. Orsolini
Number: 11 J. Rowe
After the opportunity to rate players has closed, the score displayed represents the average from all the submissions by BBC Sport users.
Related topics
UEFA Europa League Scores & Fixtures
Thursday 25th September
UEFA Europa League Table
On Thursday 25th September
Skip to table keyMatch Participants:
- Aston Villa, Position 13, Points 3
- Bologna, Position 28, Points 0
| Team | Played | Won | Drawn | Lost | Goals For | Goals Against | Goal Difference | Points | Form, Last 6 games, Oldest first |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 Panathinaikos | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 3 | 3 |
|
2 Dinamo Zagreb | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 3 |
|
3 Midtjylland | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 3 |
|
4 Ludogorets Razgrad | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 3 |
|
| 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 3 |
| |
6 Freiburg | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 3 |
|
| 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 3 |
| |
8 Stuttgart | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 3 |
|
9 FCSB | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 3 |
|
10 Genk | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 3 |
|
| 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 3 |
| |
12 Porto | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 3 |
|
| 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 3 |
| |
14 Sporting Braga | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 3 |
|
| 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 1 |
| |
| 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 1 |
| |
| 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| |
18 Viktoria Plzeň | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
|
19 Ferencváros | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
|
20 Red Star Belgrade | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
|
21 Maccabi Tel Aviv | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
|
22 PAOK | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
|
23 Basel | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | -1 | 0 |
|
24 Brann | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | -1 | 0 |
|
25 Celta Vigo | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | -1 | 0 |
|
26 Malmö FF | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | -1 | 0 |
|
| 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | -1 | 0 |
| |
28 Bologna | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | -1 | 0 |
|
29 Feyenoord | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | -1 | 0 |
|
30 Go Ahead Eagles | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | -1 | 0 |
|
| 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | -1 | 0 |
| |
32 Red Bull Salzburg | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | -1 | 0 |
|
33 Utrecht | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | -1 | 0 |
|
34 Fenerbahçe | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 3 | -2 | 0 |
|
35 Sturm Graz | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | -2 | 0 |
|
36 Young Boys | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 4 | -3 | 0 |
|
Key
- Position 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 : 8th Finals
- Position 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24 : Play-off
Team Lineups
home team, Aston Villa
Manager: Unai Emery
Formation: 4 - 2 - 3 - 1
Pitch Formation
- 40, Bizot, Goalkeeper
- 2, Cash, Defender4, Konsa, Defender14, Torres, Defender22, Maatsen, Defender
- 7, McGinn, Defensive Midfielder44, Kamara, Defensive Midfielder
- 29, Guessand, Attacking Midfielder27, Rogers, Attacking Midfielder10, Buendía, Attacking Midfielder
- 17, Malen, Striker
Starting lineup
- Number 40, M. Bizot
- Number 22, I. Maatsen , substituted for L. Digne at 75 minutes
- Number 14, Pau Torres
- Number 4, E. Konsa
- Number 2, M. Cash , Yellow Card at 42 minutes
- Number 44, B. Kamara
- Number 7, J. McGinn , Captain, Yellow Card at 71 minutes
- Number 10, E. Buendía , substituted for J. Sancho at 58 minutes
- Number 27, M. Rogers
- Number 29, E. Guessand
- Number 17, D. Malen , substituted for O. Watkins at 58 minutes
Substitutes
home team, Aston Villa
- Number 26, L. Bogarde
- Number 83, B. Burrowes
- Number 12, L. Digne
- Number 9, H. Elliott
- Number 16, Andrés García
- Number 5, T. Mings
- Number 3, V. Lindelöf
- Number 95, R. Oakley
- Number 52, S. Proctor
- Number 19, J. Sancho
- Number 11, O. Watkins
away team, Bologna
Manager: Vincenzo Italiano
Formation: 4 - 4 - 2
Pitch Formation
- 1, Skorupski, Goalkeeper
- 20, Zortea, Defender41, Vitík, Defender26, Lucumí, Defender22, Lykogiannis, Defender
- 10, Bernardeschi, Midfielder19, Ferguson, Midfielder8, Freuler, Midfielder28, Cambiaghi, Midfielder
- 9, Castro, Striker21, Odgaard, Striker
Starting lineup
- Number 1, Ł. Skorupski
- Number 22, C. Lykogiannis
- Number 26, J. Lucumí , Yellow Card at 66 minutes
- Number 41, M. Vitík , Yellow Card at 66 minutes
- Number 20, N. Zortea , substituted for E. Holm at 70 minutes
- Number 28, N. Cambiaghi , substituted for J. Rowe at 70 minutes
- Number 8, R. Freuler
- Number 19, L. Ferguson , Captain
- Number 10, F. Bernardeschi , substituted for R. Orsolini at 70 minutes
- Number 21, J. Odgaard , substituted for G. Fabbian at 83 minutes
- Number 9, S. Castro , substituted for T. Dallinga at 83 minutes
away team, Bologna
- Number 24, T. Dallinga
- Number 80, G. Fabbian
- Number 2, E. Holm
- Number 14, T. Heggem
- Number 33, Juan Miranda
- Number 6, N. Moro
- Number 7, R. Orsolini
- Number 25, M. Pessina
- Number 13, F. Ravaglia
- Number 11, J. Rowe
home team, Aston Villa
Manager: Unai Emery
Formation: 4 - 2 - 3 - 1
Pitch Formation
- 40, Bizot, Goalkeeper
- 2, Cash, Defender4, Konsa, Defender14, Torres, Defender22, Maatsen, Defender
- 7, McGinn, Defensive Midfielder44, Kamara, Defensive Midfielder
- 29, Guessand, Attacking Midfielder27, Rogers, Attacking Midfielder10, Buendía, Attacking Midfielder
- 17, Malen, Striker
Starting lineup
- Number 40, M. Bizot
- Number 22, I. Maatsen , substituted for L. Digne at 75 minutes
- Number 14, Pau Torres
- Number 4, E. Konsa
- Number 2, M. Cash , Yellow Card at 42 minutes
- Number 44, B. Kamara
- Number 7, J. McGinn , Captain, Yellow Card at 71 minutes
- Number 10, E. Buendía , substituted for J. Sancho at 58 minutes
- Number 27, M. Rogers
- Number 29, E. Guessand
- Number 17, D. Malen , substituted for O. Watkins at 58 minutes
Substitutes
- Number 26, L. Bogarde
- Number 83, B. Burrowes
- Number 12, L. Digne
- Number 9, H. Elliott
- Number 16, Andrés García
- Number 5, T. Mings
- Number 3, V. Lindelöf
- Number 95, R. Oakley
- Number 52, S. Proctor
- Number 19, J. Sancho
- Number 11, O. Watkins
away team, Bologna
Manager: Vincenzo Italiano
Formation: 4 - 4 - 2
Pitch Formation
- 1, Skorupski, Goalkeeper
- 20, Zortea, Defender41, Vitík, Defender26, Lucumí, Defender22, Lykogiannis, Defender
- 10, Bernardeschi, Midfielder19, Ferguson, Midfielder8, Freuler, Midfielder28, Cambiaghi, Midfielder
- 9, Castro, Striker21, Odgaard, Striker
Starting lineup
- Number 1, Ł. Skorupski
- Number 22, C. Lykogiannis
- Number 26, J. Lucumí , Yellow Card at 66 minutes
- Number 41, M. Vitík , Yellow Card at 66 minutes
- Number 20, N. Zortea , substituted for E. Holm at 70 minutes
- Number 28, N. Cambiaghi , substituted for J. Rowe at 70 minutes
- Number 8, R. Freuler
- Number 19, L. Ferguson , Captain
- Number 10, F. Bernardeschi , substituted for R. Orsolini at 70 minutes
- Number 21, J. Odgaard , substituted for G. Fabbian at 83 minutes
- Number 9, S. Castro , substituted for T. Dallinga at 83 minutes
Substitutes
- Number 24, T. Dallinga
- Number 80, G. Fabbian
- Number 2, E. Holm
- Number 14, T. Heggem
- Number 33, Juan Miranda
- Number 6, N. Moro
- Number 7, R. Orsolini
- Number 25, M. Pessina
- Number 13, F. Ravaglia
- Number 11, J. Rowe
Match Officials
- Referee:
- Jesús Gil Manzano
- Video Assistant Referee:
- César Soto Grado
- Assistant Referee 1:
- Ángel Nevado Rodríguez
- Assistant Referee 2:
- Guadalupe Porras Ayuso
- Fourth Official:
- José Luis Munuera Montero
- Assistant VAR Official:
- Carlos del Cerro Grande
Match Stats
Key, Aston Villa v BolognaOverall possession
Aston Villa 46.9%Bologna 53.1%
Shots
Aston Villa 12Bologna 17Shots on target
Aston Villa 4Bologna 7Total touches inside the opposition box
Aston Villa 34Bologna 27Goalkeeper saves
Aston Villa 7Bologna 3Fouls committed
Aston Villa 16Bologna 14Corners
Aston Villa 8Bologna 3In-depth match stats
Attack
Shots
Aston Villa 12Bologna 17Shots on target
Aston Villa 4Bologna 7Shots off target
Aston Villa 5Bologna 7Attempts out of box
Aston Villa 2Bologna 6Hit woodwork
Aston Villa 0Bologna 1Total offsides
Aston Villa 2Bologna 9Distribution
Total passes
Aston Villa 341Bologna 379Pass accuracy %
Aston Villa 79.5Bologna 82.3Backward passes
Aston Villa 52Bologna 51Forward passes
Aston Villa 129Bologna 126Total long balls
Aston Villa 41Bologna 58Successful final third passes
Aston Villa 42Bologna 71Total crosses
Aston Villa 13Bologna 26Defence
Total tackles
Aston Villa 15Bologna 23Won tackle %
Aston Villa 60Bologna 52.2Fouls committed
Aston Villa 16Bologna 14Total yellow cards
Aston Villa 2Bologna 2Total clearances
Aston Villa 20Bologna 21Season so far
UEFA Europa League
Key, Aston Villa v Bologna
League position, Aston Villa 13th, Bologna 28thTotal points, Aston Villa 3, Bologna 0
Form guide
All competitions
Aston Villa draw
v Sunderland
1
1
Premier League
Bologna won
v Genoa
2
1
Serie A
Aston Villa draw
v Brentford
1
1
League Cup
Bologna lose
v AC Milan
1
0
Serie A
Aston Villa draw
v Everton
0
0
Premier League
Bologna won
v Como
1
0
Serie A
Aston Villa lose
v Crystal Palace
0
3
Premier League
Bologna lose
v Roma
1
0
Serie A
Aston Villa lose
v Brentford
1
0
Premier League
Bologna lose
v OFI
2
4
Club Friendlies
Previous meetings
All competitions
Aston Villa and BolognaAston Villa Won 1Bologna Won 0
Played 1
Draw 0
Previous scores
All competitions
UEFA Champions League
Aston Villa 2 , Bologna 0 on the 22nd of October 2024
Aston Villa
Bologna
22nd of October 2024
- Skip back to previous scores
- Skip back to previous meetings
- Skip back to form guide
- Skip back to season so far
Match Facts
This is the second consecutive season to see Aston Villa face Bologna in European competition – the Villans won 2-0 in last season’s UEFA Champions League at Villa Park.
Bologna are winless in their last five European games against English opponents (D1 L4) since a 1-0 win over Leeds United in March 1967 in the Inter-Cities Fairs Cup.
Aston Villa reached the UEFA Champions League quarter-finals last season before being eliminated by eventual winners Paris Saint-Germain. They netted 23 goals in 2024-25, their most ever in a major European campaign.
Bologna were eliminated in last season’s UEFA Champions League group phase, but they are featuring in major European competition in consecutive seasons for the first time since 1998-99 and 1999-00 in the UEFA Cup.
Aston Villa manager Unai Emery holds the record for the most games managed (93), most wins (56) and most titles won (4) in UEFA Europa League history (excluding a 3-0 Villarreal win v Qarabag in December 2020 that was postponed due to Covid-19). He has reached the final in each of the last five full campaigns in the competition (excluding 2019-20 when he was sacked by Arsenal).