Donyell Malen Leads Aston Villa to Triumph Despite Fan Trouble

Aston Villa’s 2-1 Victory

Donyell Malen netted two goals in the first half, helping Aston Villa secure a 2-1 victory against Young Boys in the Europa League at Villa Park. However, the match was marred by disturbances from the traveling fans.

Home Advantage Overshadowed

Although the win marked Villa’s seventh consecutive home victory, the game saw issues with away supporters, known for their problematic behavior. Malen’s impressive season tally increased to six goals, giving Villa a comfortable two-goal lead at halftime. Unfortunately, this triggered incidents as objects were hurled at home players by visiting fans.

Malen himself sustained a head injury from a flying plastic cup in the chaos. The atmosphere turned negative when Young Boys fell behind, resulting in a five-minute stoppage as conflict erupted between fans and police in the Doug Ellis Stand. Team captain Loris Benito had to intervene to de-escalate the situation.

Increased Security

In response to the unrest, many police officers in riot gear were positioned near the away section, effectively maintaining order in the second half and preventing any further disruptions.

Previous Offenses

Young Boys supporters have faced significant fines in the past for similar altercations, including €28,250 for incidents at Manchester City and around €18,000 related to pyrotechnics used during a match at Celtic.

Match Highlights

While the turmoil off the pitch drew attention, Aston Villa continued to assert dominance on the field. Despite a late goal from Joel Monteiro, which served as a consolation for Young Boys, Villa maintained their strong form, securing four wins from five matches in the competition.

Villa started positively, with Malen’s attempt from distance in the fourth minute nearly finding the net, only for goalkeeper Marvin Keller to make a crucial save. The hosts eventually broke through in the 27th minute when Youri Tielemans found Malen with a well-placed header, resulting in the opening goal.

Following their first goal, Malen and teammates celebrated in front of the away supporters, only to be met with thrown objects that led to further clashes with police. The home team quickly escalated their performance and scored again just before halftime, with Malen expertly finishing a pass from Morgan Rogers.

Similar to his first celebration, Malen approached the away fans, provoking another wave of projectiles and leading to another brief stoppage of play.

Missed Opportunities

Aston Villa continued to threaten, believing they had scored a third goal when Rogers set up Malen for what he thought would be a hat trick. However, an offside call halted the celebrations.

Young Boys nearly narrowed the gap when Chris Bedia finished a play set up by Alan Virginius, but after a long VAR review, the goal was disallowed due to an offside infraction in the buildup.

The visitors finally found the back of the net in the 90th minute when Monteiro finished off a pass from Gregory Wuthrich. Nonetheless, Aston Villa defended well to secure the victory despite a late surge from Young Boys.