Villa and Palace Triumph in Europa League as Forest Draws with Porto
A busy European night saw strong results for English clubs. Aston Villa won 3-1 in Bologna. Nottingham Forest drew 1-1 at Porto. Crystal Palace beat Fiorentina 3-0 at Selhurst Park.
Aston Villa dominate in Italy
Ollie Watkins scored twice to help Villa secure a 3-1 victory. The match was the Europa League quarterfinal first leg on Thursday. Villa’s performance stood out among Premier League sides in Europe that night.
Forest earn a valuable draw in Portugal
Nottingham Forest fielded a much-changed team for the trip to Porto. The visitors returned to the Midlands with a 1-1 draw. Porto were levelled after a remarkable own goal by Martim Fernandes. Vitor Pereira’s side reacted quickly to force the equaliser.
Palace move within sight of the semis
Crystal Palace moved into a strong position to reach the Conference League semifinals. They beat Fiorentina 3-0 at Selhurst Park. Jean-Philippe Mateta, Tyrick Mitchell and Ismaïla Sarr scored the goals.
Wider context for English teams
Earlier in the week, Arsenal won 1-0 at Sporting Lisbon in their Champions League quarterfinal first leg. Liverpool lost 2-0 to Paris Saint-Germain in Paris the day after. Villa and Palace enjoyed standout nights while Forest drew at Porto, leaving all three clubs well placed for return fixtures next week.
Reporting: Filmogaz.com
