Aston Villa’s Europa League campaign suffered a shock setback as they were beaten 2-1 by Dutch underdogs Go Ahead Eagles in Deventer.
Unai Emery’s side looked set for another routine win when Evann Guessand opened the scoring in the fourth minute, slotting home after Jadon Sancho’s cross was parried into his path. But despite dominating early on and missing several clear chances through Ollie Watkins and Sancho, Villa were undone by defensive lapses and wasteful finishing.
The hosts equalised just before half-time when Mathis Suray’s deflected shot looped past Emiliano Martínez, before captain Mats Deijl completed the turnaround midway through the second half with a composed finish from close range.
Villa pushed hard for an equaliser, with Morgan Rogers hitting the woodwork, before being handed a lifeline in the 77th minute after a handball in the box. However, Emiliano Buendía blazed his penalty over the bar in the swirling wind and rain, sealing Villa’s fate.
The defeat ended Villa’s five-match winning run and left Emery frustrated ahead of Sunday’s clash with Manchester City. Meanwhile, the Go Ahead Eagles — playing in Europe for the first time since 2015 — celebrated one of the greatest victories in their club’s history with fireworks over the De Adelaarshorst stadium.
