Europa League: Former BVB star nets brace despite injury from cup thrown | OneFootball

Things got heated yesterday at Villa Park, home of English Premier League club Aston Villa. They defeated Young Boys Bern 2-1 in the Europa League. Both goals were scored by a former Borussia Dortmund player—he even managed the second despite suffering a wound from a cup thrown from the stands.

Donyell Malen paid a high price last night for the spot he chose to celebrate his goal that put the home team up 1-0. Of all places, the former Dortmund player celebrated this goal in the 27th minute right in front of the away fans from Switzerland. From there, a beer cup was thrown onto the field, hitting him on the head and causing a minor wound.

However, Donyell Malen did not act like a dying swan and played out the remainder of the match. Going into yesterday’s encounter, Aston Villa was sixth in the Europa League table. The Swiss side YB was in 22nd place. Today, Aston Villa has moved up even further, now third in the Europa League with four wins from five matches.

Photo: Getty Images

Donyell Malen transferred from BVB to Aston Villa in January

This was possible in part because Donyell Malen didn’t let the unusual blow to the head throw him off his game. In fact, he scored a second time in the first half, making it 2-0 in the 42nd minute. Since Bern could only respond with a single goal, which came as late as the 90th minute, Aston Villa secured another three points.

After his brace yesterday, Donyell Malen now sits fifth in the top scorer list with three goals in total. The Dutchman joined BVB in 2021, coming from PSV Eindhoven to the Ruhr region. After three and a half years—marked by occasional brilliant but often inconsistent performances—Donyell Malen left BVB. This January, he moved to Aston Villa, where, unlike at BVB, he isn’t playing in the Champions League. However, his goals are now delivering victories for the Birmingham club in the Europa League.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇩🇪 here.