Aston Villa Clinch Europa League Round of 16 Place with Narrow Win Over Fenerbahce

Key Takeaways:

• Aston Villa secured a 1:0 victory away to Fenerbahce, confirming progression to the Europa League Round of 16
• Jadon Sancho scored his inaugural goal for the Birmingham side, opening the scoring in the 25th minute
• Unai Emery marked his 100th Europa League match as manager, the first to achieve this milestone

Match Summary

Aston Villa confirmed their place in the Europa League Round of 16 with a significant 1:0 away triumph over Fenerbahce. Jadon Sancho’s decisive goal midway through the opening half proved enough for the Premier League outfit to match Lyon’s total of 18 points at the top of the standings. Fenerbahce now sit 18th with 11 points, and the final round of the main stage is set to take place in one week’s time.

JOB DONE IN ISTANBUL 🙌 #UEL pic.twitter.com/BHRrRVfrTJ

— Aston Villa (@AVFCOfficial) January 22, 2026

Team Selection and Milestones

Unai Emery overhauled his line-up following the previous fixture against Everton, introducing Bizot, Lindelof, Mings, Digne, and Sancho into the starting eleven. The occasion marked Emery’s 100th managerial appearance in the Europa League, making him the first to reach this tally in the competition’s history.

Fenerbahce made three adjustments compared to their most recent league outing, fielding former Aston Villa player John Duran and ex-Birmingham midfielder Marco Asensio from the start, alongside Fred and Nene. Talisca returned to the bench for this encounter.

Key Moments and Match Analysis

Although Fenerbahce began on the front foot, Villa soon found their rhythm and posed increasing threats going forward. The only goal arrived in the 25th minute when Matty Cash’s cross from the right, initially deflected by Yuksek, fell invitingly for Sancho, who nodded the ball into the far corner for his first goal in Villa colours.

In the closing stages of the first half, Sancho came close to doubling the advantage after being played in by Rogers, but his initial touch let him down, allowing the defence to close in and block his subsequent attempt. Not long after, Rogers did manage to put the ball in the net, but the effort was disallowed as it had ricocheted off the referee.

The second half saw further opportunities for both sides. Early on, Sancho missed a promising chance, while Bizot delivered an outstanding save from a close-range effort by substitute Talisca. In the 63rd minute, Matty Cash struck the post with a long-range attempt from approximately 25 metres. Shortly afterwards, Yuksek turned the ball into his own net, though the own goal was disallowed due to Sancho being offside earlier in the move.

The hosts thought they had found an equaliser in the 75th minute through Akturkoglu, but VAR intervened to cancel the goal owing to an earlier offside by Duran. Despite sustained late pressure from Fenerbahce, Villa held firm to claim all three points.

Statistical Overview

Next Steps

The final fixture will be contested in one week’s time, as Villa look to maintain momentum and Fenerbahce seek to improve their standing.