Aston Villa clashed heads with Lille at the Decathlon Arena – Stade Pierre-Mauroy earlier tonight as they hoped to defend their 2-1 lead from the first leg of their UEFA Europa Conference League tie. The Villans made a slow start to the game and conceded the opening goal in the 15th minute when Yusuf Yazici found the back of the net. Unai Emery’s men went into the half-time break 1-0 down on the scoreline.
Benjamin Andre doubled Lille’s advantage in the 67th minute but Matty Cash scored a late goal for the West Midlands club which took the game to extra-time.
Both teams canceled each other out in extra-time as the tie went to penalties after it finished 3-3 on aggregate. The Villans ended up winning the shootout by a 4-3 margin.
Let’s take a look at how each Aston Villa player performed during the match against Lille.
GK: Emiliano Martinez – 8/10
Martinez made some top saves tonight and did enough to secure qualification for his team in the shootout.
RB: Matty Cash – 7/10
He was far from convincing at the back but scored a late goal which took the match to extra-time. Cash also scored his penalty in the shootout.
CB: Ezri Konsa – 7/10
Konsa kept things solid when defending inside his half and did enough to keep Jonathan David quiet.
CB: Pau Torres – 6/10
He did his fair share of defending but won’t be happy after conceding twice during the game.
LB: Lucas Digne – 6/10
Digne looked shaky at the back and was far from convincing going forward.
RW: John McGinn – 5/10
He had a tough outing on the right flank and failed to impress tonight.
CM: Youri Tielemans – 6.5/10
Tielemans struggled to catch the eye in the middle of the park and managed to convert his penalty in the shootout.
CM: Douglas Luiz – 6.5/10
Luiz passed the ball well at times but squandered a great chance to find the back of the net in extra time.
LW: Nicolo Zaniolo – 6/10
He got injured and was replaced early in the game.
ST: Moussa Diaby – 5.5/10
Diaby was quiet for most of the game and was replaced after the hour mark.
ST: Ollie Watkins – 7/10
Watkins was a quiet presence in the Lille half for most of the game but scored his penalty in the shootout.
Substitutes:
CM: Morgan Rogers – 6/10
His impact on the game was minimal.
RW: Leon Bailey – 6.5/10
Bailey managed to catch the eye off the bench but failed to score from the spot.
ST: Jhon Duran – 7/10
Duran was a real menace in the final third.
