Aston Villa falls to a surprising 2-1 defeat against Go Ahead Eagles in the Europa League, with Emiliano Buendia missing a crucial penalty
Aston Villa saw their impressive Europa League run come to an abrupt end as they suffered a shock 2-1 defeat to Go Ahead Eagles in Deventer.
The Dutch side, who qualified for the competition by winning the Dutch Cup last term, pulled off a famous victory at the De Adelaarshorst stadium.
Evann Guessand’s early goal had given Villa hope of maintaining their 100% record in the competition, but the hosts drew level just before the interval through Mathis Suray’s deflected shot. The game changed dramatically after the hour mark when Mats Deijl scored the winner, lifting the ball over Villa goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez.
Despite dominating the game, Villa’s profligacy in front of goal ultimately proved costly. Emiliano Buendia missed a second-half penalty, sending the spot-kick over the bar, which sealed the win for Go Ahead Eagles.
The result leaves Villa seventh in the table, while the Dutch club moves up to 10th, also on six points.
Unai Emery’s side had appeared to be vindicated for making wholesale changes from their Premier League win at Tottenham last Sunday. However, they failed to capitalize on their dominance, and the hosts exploited their mistakes to force their way back into the game.
“We must accept it. We have broken the good form we have and I hope we recover quick,” Emery said. “They had motivation and their goal helped them to feel stronger. The second goal we conceded we have to try to avoid.”
Go Ahead Eagles’ victory was their first major honour in 92 years. Villa, on the other hand, will be left wondering what could have been, having failed to take advantage of their opportunities.
The defeat marks Villa’s first loss against a Dutch club, and it will be a concern for Emery, who watched his players fail to take advantage of opportunities to put the game beyond their opponents.
