With Dibu and Buendía from the off, Villa upset Santi Castro's Bologna | OneFootball

The Villans made a big statement at the Renato Dall’Ara and came away with a 3-1 win that leaves them just one step away from European glory. The world champion goalkeeper was crucial, and Buendía pulled the strings for a team that completely outclassed the Italian side.

Aston Villa are still in steamroller mode. After brushing aside Lille without breaking a sweat, the English side traveled to Italy and gave Bologna a lesson in efficiency. It was a convincing 3-1 win that confirms the excellent form of Unai Emery’s team, who are already starting to look toward the semifinals.

Right from the start, the match had a distinctly Argentine feel. In the visitors’ goal, Emiliano “Dibu” Martínez once again showed why he’s the best in the world, providing security against a Bologna side riding high after knocking out Roma in a wild series. Meanwhile, Emiliano Buendía started and was the perfect partner for Watkins and Rogers, giving the team the extra touch of class it needed to break down the Italian lock.

On the other side, youngster Santiago Castro had to work incredibly hard. The former Vélez man was the focal point in attack for Vincenzo Italiano’s team, but he struggled to get clear looks at goal against a very solid English defense. The bad news for the Argentines was the absence of Benjamín Domínguez, who missed the match with an injury that has really been bothering him.

The match turned into a monologue from the «Villans» in the key moments. With a midfield operating on instinct, led by Tielemans and Onana, Villa knew when to strike and when to slow the game down. Bologna, who fielded the best they had (including Bernardeschi and Ferguson), never managed to figure out a team that plays almost automatically and has Dibu at the back as an absolute guarantee of confidence.

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