Aktürkoğlu tries, ex-Benfica man struggles at Fenerbahçe - Aston Villa | OneFootball

Aston Villa secured their place in the round of 16 of the UEFA Europa League after achieving a crucial 1-0 victory away against Fenerbahçe. Jadon Sancho scored the only goal midway through the first half, and with this triumph, the Birmingham team now has 18 points, matching the leader Lyon. Kerem Aktürkoğlu, a former Benfica forward - who receives good news - also scored in an attempt to equalize, but the goal was disallowed.

Fenerbahçe started more actively, but Villa gained momentum and attacked with more danger. The visitors took the lead in the 25th minute. A cross from Cash on the right was deflected by Yuksek, and Sancho headed the ball into the corner of the net.

At the end of the first half, Sancho missed the chance to extend the lead after receiving the ball from Rogers in the area, but his first touch was too weak. This allowed the defenders to regroup, and the shot was blocked. Then, Rogers sent the ball into the net, but there was a deflection off the referee's feet beforehand, so the goal was not validated.

At the start of the second half, Sancho missed another excellent opportunity. Bizot, on the other hand, made an exceptional save after a point-blank shot from Talisca, who came on as a substitute. In the 63rd minute, a shot from Matty Cash from about 25 meters hit the crossbar. Three minutes later, Yuksek scored an own goal, but it was disallowed as Sancho was in an offside position.

In the 75th minute, Aktürkoğlu thought he had equalized the game, but after VAR intervention, the goal was disallowed for the former Benfica player due to a previous offside by Durán. Until the end, the hosts' pressure had no effect. Fenerbahçe currently occupies the 16th position with 10 points, and the last group stage match will be played next week.

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