Aston Villa Edges Past Lille in Europa League First Leg – Verdonk Unused

Lille fell to a 1-0 defeat against Aston Villa in the first leg of their Europa League round of 16 tie, held at the Stade Pierre-Mauroy on Friday, March 13, 2026. Indonesian international Calvin Verdonk was an unused substitute for Lille in the match.

Match Details

The match saw Aston Villa take control, with Ollie Watkins scoring the decisive goal in the 61st minute. Watkins’ header proved too much for Lille goalkeeper Berke Ozer, securing a narrow advantage for the English side.

Verdonk’s Role

Despite being named in the squad, Calvin Verdonk did not feature in the match. Lille manager Bruno Genesio opted for Romain Perraud at left-back, keeping Verdonk on the bench for the entirety of the game.

First Half Recap

Aston Villa dominated possession in the first half, but Lille managed to hold them to a goalless draw. Both teams struggled to create clear-cut chances, resulting in a tightly contested opening 45 minutes.

Second Half Breakthrough

The breakthrough came shortly after the restart, with Watkins’ goal giving Aston Villa the lead. Lille attempted to respond, but were unable to find an equalizer, leaving them with a one-goal deficit to overcome in the second leg.

Looking Ahead

The second leg is scheduled for March 20 at Villa Park. Lille will need a strong performance to overturn the 1-0 deficit and advance to the quarter-finals of the Europa League.

Lineups

• Lille: Berke Ozer; Tiago Santos, Chancel Mbemba, Aissa Mandi, Romain Perraud; Ngal’ayel Mukau, Benjamin Andre, Nabil Bentaleb; Gaetan Perrin, Olivier Giroud, Hakon Haraldsson.
• Aston Villa: Emiliano Martinez; Lucas Digne, Pau Torres, Ezri Konsa, Lamere Bogarde; Douglas Luiz, Amadou Onana; Emiliano Buendia, Morgan Rogers, Jadon Sancho; Ollie Watkins.

Source: DetikSport, Oganilir.disway.id, Liputan6.com, Republika.co.id