Watkins marks Emery's 100th Villa win as Europa League last 16 delivers drama
Thursday's Europa League last-16 first legs produced goals, late drama, and a landmark occasion for one of the competition's most experienced managers. Across eight ties, multiple home sides managed a win, and several fancied teams head into next week's second legs with work to do.
Watkins delivers Emery milestone in Lille
Aston Villa ground out a 1-0 win at the Stade Pierre-Mauroy thanks to a looping Ollie Watkins header in the 61st minute. It was a typically stubborn European performance from Unai Emery's side, who were happy to absorb pressure and strike when the moment arrived.
The goal also carried personal significance for Emery. It was his 100th win as Villa manager, reached in 181 matches across all competitions. That makes him the fastest boss in the club's history to reach the century mark, beating Ron Saunders who took four full seasons. Since arriving from Villarreal in October 2022, Emery has won 55% of his games at Villa Park and beyond.
Porto punish Stuttgart, Endrick saves Lyon
FC Porto took control of their tie against Stuttgart with a clinical first half in Germany. Terem Moffi opened the scoring on 21 minutes before Rodrigo Mora doubled the lead six minutes later. Deniz Undav pulled one back for Stuttgart before half-time to keep the Germans in the tie, but Porto's two away-goal cushion gives them the upper hand heading to Portugal.
In Vigo, Endrick continued his impressive loan spell with Lyon. The 19-year-old Brazilian, on a six-month loan from Real Madrid, rescued a 1-1 draw by scoring in the 87th minute after Javier Rueda had given Celta the lead. Endrick has been getting regular game time at Lyon since joining in late December and scored his first Europa League goal at a good time for his side.
Upsets and tight ties across the board
Nottingham Forest's difficult night in Denmark got plenty of attention, with Cho Gue-sung's late header giving Midtjylland a 1-0 win. But they were not alone in struggling. Bologna and Roma played out a 1-1 draw in the all-Italian tie, while Panathinaikos grabbed a late 1-0 win over Real Betis through a Taborda penalty in the 88th minute.
Ferencvaros were the night's most convincing winners, beating Braga 2-0 in Budapest through goals from Gabi Kanichowsky on 32 minutes and Lenny Joseph on 68. Genk also edged Freiburg 1-0 in Belgium to take a slender lead into the return leg.
The second legs take place on March 19, with Villa, Porto, and Ferencvaros all in strong positions to advance.
