Aston Villa 2-0 Maccabi Tel Aviv: Villans cruise to routine win as arrests made at pre-match protests

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Evening Standard

·6 novembre 2025

Aston Villa 2-0 Maccabi Tel Aviv: Villans cruise to routine win as arrests made at pre-match protests

Hundreds attended demonstrations outside Villa Park before kick-off

Aston Villa rose above the noise on a tense night at Villa Park to record a routine 2-0 win over Maccabi Tel Aviv and continue their impressive start to the Europa League campaign.

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The hosts were slow to start as protests raged outside the ground, but Ian Maatsen found the back of the net on the stroke of half-time to set them on their way. Donyell Malen added a second from 12 yards after the break to confirm Maccabi went home empty-handed.

The story of the night, though, took place off the pitch rather than on it. The pre-match buzz that so often comes with a European night was conspicuously absent, replaced with political tension as pro-Palestine protestors rallied against the Israeli side’s visit.

Maccabi supporters, sections of whom have a reputation for hooliganism, were banned from attending the match in mid-October, a move which “angered” Keir Starmer and was branded as “hostile” by the Israeli embassy.

The Villa Park away end was left empty on Thursday night

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The Palestine Solidarity Campaign has called for the fixture to be cancelled, and for Israel to be excluded from international football, but, regardless, the game went ahead.

Come matchday, over 700 police officers were deployed to keep the peace in the areas surrounding Villa Park as a variety of protests were planned pre-match.

A group of roughly 200 pro-Palestine protestors staged a rally in a nearby park, with various counter-protests also taking place.

Six people were arrested before kick-off, three of which were for racially aggravated offences.

Amid the ongoing demonstrations outside the ground, the atmosphere inside Villa Park was rather placid, due in part to the empty away end.

While the match brought with it a highly charged political backdrop, the on-pitch narrative was rather less inspiring. A Premier League side facing a squad a fraction as valuable as their own in a European group phase match is all too familiar a setup.

Demonstrators protested against Maccabi Tel Aviv’s participation in the match

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And, as is so often the case in such imbalanced matches, Villa were slow off the mark, settling into familiar possession-focused patterns of play.

Maccabi had the first chance of the evening as Helio Varela’s effort required the intervention of Ezri Konsa, and kept the hosts on their toes for much of the opening exchanges. Osher Davida went close with 24 minutes played, skipping past Victor Lindelof before firing narrowly wide.

Come the half-hour mark, Villa had enjoyed the lion’s share of possession but mustered only one shot on target.

They soon found their groove, though, as Morgan Rogers sprang into life, his front-footed dribbling finally giving the home support something to cheer about.

He teed up Maatsen’s opener minutes after shooting narrowly over the bar, squaring for the Dutchman to finish from a tight angle. He fired in off the bar to put the Villans in front on the stroke of half-time.

Maccabi were down but not out. A spirited start to the second half saw Emi Martinez twice called into action, but the visitors’ momentum was stemmed when Konsa was tagged in the box by Elad Madmon and referee Julian Weinberger pointed belatedly to the spot. Malen made no mistake from the spot, and the result was all but confirmed.

Unai Emery was impressed by his side’s resilience on an emotional night at Villa Park.

“We were playing solidly and playing seriously. We conceded more chances than we planned. They needed to get something here and they played very focused. Overall, we dominated.

"We used our passion and our experience in Europe. Here at home in the Conference League two years ago, we have the experience and try to understand the difficulties. Do not be frustrated, try and use it to be passionate. It was coming in the second half.”

The win takes the Villans to sixth in the Europa League table, with Swiss side Young Boys their next opponents. Maccabi, meanwhile, languish in 34th place.