Match report
Aston Villa Defeats Lille 1-0 in UEFA Europa League
Lille
0–1
FT
Aston Villa
Mar 12, 2026
Aston Villa pulled off a narrow 1-0 victory over Lille in their UEFA Europa League clash. O. Watkins' goal in the second half was the decisive moment, securing the win for Aston Villa despite a valiant effort from Lille to find an equalizer. The win puts Aston Villa in a strong position for the knockout stage.
Key Facts
- • Final Score: Lille 0 - 1 Aston Villa
- • O. Watkins scored the only goal at 61 minutes
- • Lille made multiple substitutions in the second half: B. Andre, G. Perrin, T. Santos, and Ngal'ayel Mukau
- • Aston Villa made substitutions: Douglas Luiz, T. Abraham, L. Bailey, J. Sancho, and Morgan Rogers
- • Emiliano Martínez and L. Digne received yellow cards for Aston Villa in injury time
Lineups
Lille
Formation: 4-2-3-1
Starting XI
- 1 Berke Özer (G)
- 22 Tiago Santos (D)
- 18 Chancel Mbemba (D)
- 23 Aïssa Mandi (D)
- 15 Romain Perraud (D)
- 21 Benjamin André (M)
- 6 Nabil Bentaleb (M)
- 17 Ngal'ayel Mukau (M)
- 10 Hakon Arnar Haraldsson (M)
- 28 Gaëtan Perrin (M)
- 9 Olivier Giroud (F)
Substitutes
- 32 Ayyoub Bouaddi
- 7 Matías Fernández
- 12 Thomas Meunier
- 27 Félix Correia
- 35 Soriba Diaoune
- 16 Arnaud Bodart
- 60 Zadig Lanssade
- 3 Nathan Ngoy
- 4 Alexsandro Ribeiro
- 24 Calvin Verdonk
- 42 Saad Boussadia
- 20 Noah Edjouma
Aston Villa
Formation: 4-2-3-1
Starting XI
- 23 Emiliano Martínez (G)
- 26 Lamare Bogarde (D)
- 4 Ezri Konsa (D)
- 14 Pau Torres (D)
- 12 Lucas Digne (D)
- 21 Douglas Luiz (M)
- 24 Amadou Onana (M)
- 19 Jadon Sancho (M)
- 27 Morgan Rogers (M)
- 10 Emiliano Buendía (M)
- 11 Ollie Watkins (F)
Substitutes
- 7 John McGinn
- 18 Tammy Abraham
- 22 Ian Maatsen
- 31 Leon Bailey
- 9 Harvey Elliott
- 40 Marco Bizot
- 64 James Wright
- 3 Victor Lindelöf
- 5 Tyrone Mings
- 16 Andrés García
Timeline
-
46' Lille subst · Substitution 1Off: B. Andre · On: A. Bouaddi
-
52' Lille subst · Substitution 2Off: G. Perrin · On: M. Fernandez-Pardo
-
61' Aston Villa Goal · Normal GoalO. Watkins · Assist: E. Buendia
-
66' Lille subst · Substitution 3Off: T. Santos · On: T. Meunier
-
66' Lille subst · Substitution 4Off: Ngal'ayel Mukau · On: F. Correia
-
77' Aston Villa subst · Substitution 1Off: Douglas Luiz · On: J. McGinn
-
77' Aston Villa subst · Substitution 2Off: O. Watkins · On: T. Abraham
-
83' Lille subst · Substitution 5Off: H. Haraldsson · On: S. Diaoune
-
83' Aston Villa subst · Substitution 3Off: E. Buendia · On: L. Bailey
-
83' Aston Villa subst · Substitution 4Off: J. Sancho · On: I. Maatsen
-
88' Aston Villa Card · Yellow CardEmiliano Martínez
Time wasting
-
90'+2 Aston Villa Card · Yellow CardL. Digne
Foul
-
90' Aston Villa subst · Substitution 5Off: Morgan Rogers · On: H. Elliott
Match Stats
| Stat | Lille | Aston Villa |
|---|---|---|
| Fouls | 11 | 12 |
| Pass Accuracy | 86% | 86% |
| Offsides | 5 | 1 |
| Red Cards | — | — |
| Total Shots | 7 | 9 |
| Corners | 3 | 2 |
| Total Passes | 442 | 470 |
| Yellow Cards | 0 | 2 |
| Blocked Shots | 2 | 3 |
| Shots on Target | 3 | 1 |
| xG | 0.32 | 0.51 |
| Shots off Target | 2 | 5 |
| Possession | 49% | 51% |
| Goals Prevented | 0 | 0 |
| Accurate Passes | 381 | 405 |
| Shots Inside Box | 3 | 7 |
| Saves | 0 | 3 |
| Shots Outside Box | 4 | 2 |
Key Match Notes
- ▸ O. Watkins' goal at the 61-minute mark broke the deadlock and shifted momentum in favor of Aston Villa
- ▸ Aston Villa's substitutions, including T. Abraham and L. Bailey, helped maintain pressure on Lille in the latter stages of the game