Newsletters
Aston Villa beat Fenerbahce 6-0 at Villa Park in Birmingham on Wednesday night in the UEFA Champions League league phase. Nicolas Jackson and Ross Barkley each scored twice, and Johan Manzambi and Tammy Abraham added the others.
The league phase is the format that replaced the traditional group stage in the competition, with each club playing a series of matches against different opponents rather than a fixed group of rivals.
Villa had the first meaningful chances. John McGinn shot just wide of the left post in the third minute, and Barkley headed over from a corner two minutes later. Mbaye forced a save from Fenerbahce goalkeeper Ederson in the seventh minute, and Manzambi had an effort blocked in the eighth.
The opening goal came in the 12th minute, again from a corner. Manzambi struck a left-footed shot from the centre of the box into the bottom right corner to make it 1-0.
Fenerbahce responded with a spell of pressure. Vedat Muriqi was denied twice by Villa goalkeeper Zion Suzuki, with a header in the 15th minute and a shot in the 17th, and Mason Greenwood’s long-range effort was saved in the 18th.
Villa doubled their lead in the 31st minute. Jackson, set up by Boubacar Kamara, drove a right-footed shot from outside the box into the bottom left corner. Eight minutes later he scored his second, finishing from the right side of the area after a pass from Barkley.
Fenerbahce’s best chance of the half came in the 34th minute, when Oguz Aydin hit the crossbar with a left-footed shot from the left side of the box. Villa led 3-0 at the interval.
Suzuki made another save early in the second half, keeping out an effort from Milan Skriniar from the centre of the box in the 51st minute. Ederson denied McGinn and Mbaye in quick succession soon afterward.
The fourth goal arrived from the penalty spot in the 68th minute. Manzambi was fouled in the area by Ismail Yuksek, and Barkley sent his spot kick into the bottom left corner. Four minutes later, Barkley added a fifth with a left-footed shot from outside the box into the bottom right corner, set up by Ibrahim Mbaye.
Fenerbahce had made three changes just before the penalty, with Romelu Lukaku, Dorgeles Nene and Bartug Elmaz coming on for Muriqi, Greenwood and Yuksek. Neither Nene nor Elmaz could find the target, with Nene firing wide in the 83rd minute and Elmaz having a shot blocked a minute later.
Abraham, on as a substitute for Jackson in the 78th minute, completed the scoring in the 90th minute. He finished from very close range into the top left corner after a pass from fellow substitute Alysson.
Villa lost two players to injury late on. Mbaye went off in the 79th minute and was replaced by Alejandro Garnacho, and Barkley was replaced by Leon Goretzka in the 83rd. Fenerbahce’s Matteo Guendouzi and Aydin were both booked for fouls.
Fenerbahce, the Istanbul club, left Birmingham without a goal and with a heavy defeat.
Set as preferred source
Set as preferred source
1 min read
1 min read
