Aston Villa and Nottingham Forest will meet in an all-English Europa League semi-final after both Premier League sides secured emphatic victories in their quarter-final second legs on Thursday.
Leading 3-1 from the first leg in Italy, Unai Emery’s Villa side completed a commanding 4-0 win at Villa Park, progressing 7-1 on aggregate.
Meanwhile, Forest – who sit 12 places below fourth-placed Villa in the Premier League – defeated ten-man Porto 1-0 at the City Ground to secure a 2-1 aggregate victory.
Villa have now reached their second European semi-final under Emery, having made the last four of the Europa Conference League in 2024. The Spanish manager is no stranger to this stage; he has won the Europa League four times – three with Sevilla and once with Villarreal – and was a runner-up with Arsenal.
Watkins reaches century
Ollie Watkins, who scored twice in the first leg, tormented Bologna once again in the 16th minute. His goal was the culmination of a flowing 14-pass move, finished off from six yards after a setup by Morgan Rogers.
The strike was Watkins’ 100th for Villa and his tenth in European competition, making him the club’s all-time leading scorer in Europe, surpassing Peter Withe and John McGinn.
Villa missed a chance to extend their lead in the 25th minute when Martin Vitik handled a header from Rogers. However, Rogers’ ensuing penalty was saved by Federico Ravaglia.
The respite for Bologna proved brief. Emiliano Buendía made it 2-0 just a minute later with a fierce drive, and Rogers atoned for his penalty miss in the 39th minute, scoring for the first time in 12 games with a low effort that beat Ravaglia at his near post. Ezri Konsa completed the scoring with an 89th-minute volley.
Forest’s emotional night
At the City Ground, two-time European champions Forest booked their first continental semi-final since the 1983-84 UEFA Cup.
Porto’s evening unravelled inside eight minutes when defender Jan Bednarek was sent off for a reckless challenge that caught Chris Wood on the knee, forcing the New Zealand striker off injured.
Forest capitalised swiftly. In the 12th minute, Morgan Gibbs-White’s shot from the edge of the box took a heavy deflection before looping into the net. Gibbs-White celebrated by holding up a shirt bearing the name of teammate Elliot Anderson, who missed the match following the death of his mother.
There was further emotion at half-time, as former Forest striker Tony Woodcock was belatedly presented with a winners’ medal from the 1980 European Cup. Woodcock had been denied a medal at the time after his strained relationship with manager Brian Clough led to his departure during the club’s successful run.
Forest survived a nervy second half. Porto’s William Gomes struck the woodwork from close range, and Alan Varela hit the crossbar in the closing minutes.
Playing in Europe for the first time since the 1995-96 UEFA Cup, Vítor Pereira’s side will hope their European run provides a boost in their battle against Premier League relegation.
Freiburg and Braga complete semi-final lineup
Freiburg reached the Europa League semi-finals for the first time in their history with a 3-1 win away to Celta Vigo, progressing 6-1 on aggregate. Igor Matanović opened the scoring before Yuito Suzuki struck twice. Williot Swedberg’s stoppage-time goal was scant consolation for the Spanish side.
Freiburg will face Sporting Braga, who staged a remarkable comeback to win 4-2 at Real Betis and secure a 5-3 aggregate victory.
Antony and Abde Ezzalzouli put Betis 2-0 ahead, but Pau Victor pulled one back for Braga before half-time. Vítor Carvalho equalised four minutes after the restart, and Ricardo Horta calmly converted a 53rd-minute penalty. Jean-Baptiste Gorby completed the fightback in the 74th minute.
