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Football
Aston Villa
vs Maccabi Tel Aviv. UEFA Europa League.
8: 00pm, Thursday 6th November 2025.
Villa Park.
Match report as Aston Villa move up to sixth place in the Europa League standings with victory over winless Maccabi Tel Aviv; Ian Maatsen's finish from a tight angle and Donyell Malen's penalty earned victory on a night which also saw protests and arrests outside Villa Park
Senior Football Journalist
@psmith XI
Friday 7 November 2025 00: 15, UK Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player Aston Villa beat Maccabi Tel Aviv 2-0 in the Europa League on a night of protests, arrests and a substantial police presence at Villa Park. West Midlands Police made 11 arrests as pro-Palestine protests and smaller counter protests took place outside the ground, where over 700 police had been deployed, following the controversial move to ban fans of the Israeli side amid safety fears. But on the pitch, Villa delivered the result they had been hoping for - despite a slow start. They are up to sixth place in the Europa League standings, well placed at the halfway point of the league phase to qualify for the knockouts. Villa had been lacklustre for the majority of the first half and should have gone behind to their winless opponents when Dor Peretz was teed up in the box but shot at the stricken Emi Martinez rather than into the gaping goal. Morgan Rogers had been the one most willing to inject some impetus into his side's play and it was no surprise he was heavily involved when Villa struck just before half-time, exchanging passes with Jadon Sancho and then finding Ian Maatsen to convert from the tightest of angles. On the third anniversary of Unai Emery becoming Villa boss, this was a move more befitting of the side he has built than the ponderous play that had gone before. In the second half, again, Peretz was denied by Martinez before a Villa goal, with stand-in captain Ezri Konsa eventually tumbling after a collision with Elad Madmon and Donyell Malen arrowing the penalty into the bottom corner.
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Donyell Malen scored Aston Villa’s third penalty in the Europa League this season - Ollie Watkins and Emi Buendia had failed from the spot on the other two occasions. With the mood lifted, Villa fans also celebrated the return to action of Youri Tielemans, who immediately showed off his brilliant passing range to set up a chance for Malen to score his second but goalkeeper Roei Mishpati saved sharply. An offside flag would have ruled out a late Ollie Watkins deflection which was cleared off the line by Issouf Sissokho but Villa finished on the front foot and with some positivity on what proved to be a tricky night on and off the pitch. Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player Aston Villa boss Unai Emery to TNT Sports: "How we performed in the 90 minutes was not brilliant, but we were playing solid. Playing seriously. We conceded more chances than we planned, but we had to accept that. The opponent needed something here and they played very well. But overall, we dominated. We were patient creating our chances. "We had to use our experiences in Europe against teams like Maccabi. For example, against Go Ahead Eagles we lost. In the Conference League two years ago we had difficult games against Legia Warsaw and AZ Alkmaar. Those experiences we are now using to remind ourselves to understand the difficulties. "We were speaking in the dressing room about not being frustrated. Try to keep being resilient or being patient when we need it. " Super 6 are starting the season by guaranteeing a £1, 000, 000 winner! Play for free.
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