With Dibu and Buendía from the off, Villa sank 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 outplayed 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 glance toward the semifinals.

From the opening whistle, the match had all the makings of a classic. In the visitors’ goal, Emiliano “Dibu” Martínez once again showed why he is the best in the world, providing security against a Bologna side riding high after knocking out Roma in a wild tie. Meanwhile, Emiliano Buendía started and was the perfect partner for Watkins and Rogers, adding the touch of class the team needed to break down the Italian defensive wall.

On the other side, youngster Santiago Castro had a really tough night. The former Vélez man was the focal point in attack for Vincenzo Italiano’s team, but he struggled to get a clear sight of goal against a very solid English defense. The bad news for the Argentinians was the absence of Benjamín Domínguez, who missed the clash because of an injury that has been troubling him.

The match turned into a Villans monologue in the key moments. With a well-drilled midfield led by Tielemans and Onana, Villa knew when to strike and when to slow the game down. Bologna, who fielded their best available lineup (including Bernardeschi and Ferguson), never found a way to deal with a team that plays on instinct 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.