Aston Villa Qualify Directly for Europa League Round of 16

English club Aston Villa secured their direct qualification to the Round of 16 of the Europa League after defeating their hosts Fenerbahçe of Turkey by one goal to nil. The match took place at the Şükrü Saracoğlu Stadium in Istanbul.

The solitary and decisive goal came in the 24th minute from Jadon Sancho, who scored with a header following a cross from Matty Cash that deflected off defender İsmail Yüksek, finding the net past goalkeeper Ederson. This goal marked Sancho's first for Aston Villa.

The match saw a remarkable performance from Aston Villa's goalkeeper, Marco Bizot, who made eight crucial saves, including a dangerous shot from Anderson Talisca, to keep a clean sheet. The Video Assistant Referee (VAR) also disallowed an own goal scored by Yüksek and another goal by Aktürkoğlu for offside.

The game also featured Milan Škriniar clearing a shot from Sancho off the goal line, and a Matty Cash shot hitting the post. In the 91st minute of the match, Aston Villa manager Unai Emery exchanged heated words with player Tielemans after making a substitution. Fenerbahçe, managed by Tedesco, included former Aston Villa players Marco Asensio and Jhon Durán in their squad.