Aston Villa Triumphs with Dramatic Comeback Against Salzburg
Jimoh-Aloba Secures Victory
In a thrilling conclusion to the Europa League group stage, Jamaldeen Jimoh-Aloba netted his inaugural goal for Aston Villa, delivering the decisive strike in the 87th minute of a 3-2 comeback victory over Salzburg on Thursday.
The 19-year-old’s goal followed an equalizer from Tyrone Mings after Villa had initially fallen behind 2-0. The comeback was ignited by Morgan Rogers, who scored in the 64th minute after Salzburg had taken control with contributions from Victor Lindelof’s own goal and a goal from Moussa Yeo.
Unfortunately for Villa, Ollie Watkins had to exit the pitch in the first half due to a potential hamstring issue. Villa’s manager, Unai Emery, mentioned, “He felt something, but not much. We will test him. Hopefully, it is not serious, but I cannot confirm his availability for Sunday yet.”
Standings Overview
Although Aston Villa fought valiantly, they were unable to surpass Lyon, who managed a 4-2 victory over PAOK, cementing their lead on goal difference in the 36-team standings. Both teams had already advanced to the round of 16 scheduled for March.
Final Standings:
| Position | Team |
|---|---|
| 1 | Lyon |
| 2 | Aston Villa |
| 3 | Midtjylland |
| 4 | Real Betis |
| 5 | Porto |
| 6 | Braga |
| 7 | Freiburg |
| 8 | Roma |
Midtjylland climbed to third place by defeating Dinamo Zagreb 2-0, while Real Betis saw a strong performance from former Manchester United player Antony, who both scored and assisted in a 2-1 victory against Feyenoord. Porto rallied from behind to triumph 3-1 over Rangers, while Braga secured a spot in the knockout phase with a 0-0 draw against Go Ahead Eagles. Freiburg dropped to ninth place following a 1-0 defeat by Lille, and Roma managed a late 1-1 draw against Panathinaikos with an 80th-minute equalizer from Jan Ziółkowski.
Celtic also secured one of the five remaining playoff positions with a strong 4-2 victory over Utrecht, leading 3-0 within the first 20 minutes of the match thanks to goals from Benjamin Nygren, an own goal by Nick Viergever, and a penalty from Arne Engels.
In other significant news, Igor Jesus scored twice in Nottingham Forest’s impressive 4-0 win over Ferencváros.
Moment of Remembrance
The football community remembered the seven PAOK fans who tragically lost their lives in a minibus accident in Romania while traveling to a match against Lyon. Tributes were paid throughout stadiums in France and Greece, with Lyon expressing heartfelt condolences alongside rival fans from clubs including Olympiakos, Panathinaikos, and Aris. A moment of silence took place at Groupama Stadium in Lyon, as well as during the match between Panathinaikos and Roma in Athens.
