Konsa relieved as Villa edge Bologna in Europa League opener | OneFootball

Ezri Konsa admitted his relief after Aston Villa secured a 1-0 victory over Bologna to begin their Europa League campaign on a positive note.

The decisive moment came early, with captain John McGinn scoring in the 13th minute to give Villa their first win of the season.

Despite the European success, Villa are still searching for their first Premier League win, having failed to win in their opening five matches.

Konsa highlights areas for improvement

Speaking to TNT Sports after the game, Konsa stressed the importance of the result but admitted the team still needs to sharpen their overall play.

“Very relieved. I still feel there are a lot of things we can improve on as a team,” the defender said.

“I felt we could have controlled a bit more, we had chances as well. The boys out there are trying to get a goal but it is just not happening.

“It is always difficult in European competitions. We know what Bologna are about.”

Konsa also pointed out the challenge of handling crowd frustration during difficult periods and called for the players to stay positive.

Win a confidence boost ahead of Fulham test

The England international compared the current struggles to his first season at Villa, when the club battled relegation and faced tense atmospheres.

“My first season here we went through a similar thing, fighting against relegation. The crowd can be tricky here,” he explained.

“When things are not going well it is important the fans stay with us but you can see at times they got a bit frustrated, especially with some of our players but we have to be able to deal with that.

“I think today is a good starting point, a win we really needed to give us confidence going into Sunday’s game. We have important players to come back.”

Villa, who have struggled for goals, will now look to build on this much-needed win when they welcome Fulham to Villa Park on Sunday.