On 9 November, one of the matches of the Conference Football League took place. Aston Villa (England) and AZ (Netherlands) met.
Conference League
AstonVilla (England) - AZ (Netherlands) - 2:1 (0:0)
Goals: Diego Carlos (61), O. Watkins (81) - Pavlidis (52)
Aston Villa's home stadium, Villa Park, hosted a tense football match between AZ Alkmaar and Aston Villa. It was a pulsating encounter in the UEFA Europa League in which both teams showed their skill and determination. Neither side scored in the first half, with both teams holding their defence. Aston Villa and AZ Alkmaar looked for goal-scoring chances, but failed to break the deadlock. The score remained 0-0 at half-time and the second half was all about the game. AZ Alkmaar started the second half positively and managed to make a success in the 52nd minute. Vangelis Pavlidis scored the decisive goal for AZ Alkmaar, giving them a 1-0 lead. This goal breathed new life into the match and forced Aston Villa to pull away. However, Aston Villa responded with determination and it didn't take long for them to equalise. In the 61st minute, Diego Carlos scored a superb goal to give Aston Villa a 1-1 lead. In the 69th minute, AZ Alkmaar made a change: D. de Wit and R. van Bommel came on as substitutes. They sought to regain control of the game and put pressure on the defence of Aston Villa.
Together with them on the field came I. Sadik, who replaced E. Poku in AZ Alkmaar. In the 74th minute, Aston Villa also made changes, replacing Y. Thielemans, M. Diaby and E. Konsa. The fresh energy energised Aston Villa's game and they began to strive for victory. Near the end of the match, Aston Villa scored the winning goal in the 81st minute. О. Watkins scored the decisive goal that sent Villa Park into a complete frenzy. Fans of the hosts exploded with joy when they saw their team lead 2-1 for the first time in the match. In the final minutes of the game AZ Alkmaar made two more substitutions in a desperate attempt to salvage a point. Instead of J. Odgaard and T. Dantas, S. Mijnans and J. Claes came on. Mijnans and J. Clasie respectively. However, their efforts were in vain as Aston Villa held on for a hard-fought victory. Aston Villa made two more substitutions in injury time: L. Bailey and Diego Carlos replaced B. Traore and P. Torres respectively. The final whistle blew and Aston Villa claimed a 2-1 victory over AZ Alkmaar. It was an exciting match that showed the spirit and determination of both teams. Aston Villa's late surge secured an important three points and fans celebrated their team's impressive performance at Villa Park.
The following matches await the opponents in the next round: Aston Villa vs Legia, AZ vs Zrinjski.
| Aston Villa | AZ | |
|---|---|---|
| 6 | Kicks to the goal | 3 |
| 12 | Kicks | 7 |
| 5 | Blocked shots | 1 |
| 8 | Penalty kicks | 5 |
| 4 | Kicks from outside the penalty box | 2 |
| 7 | Offences | 12 |
| 8 | Corners | 1 |
| 1 | Offsides | 8 |
| 63% | Ball possession | 37% |
| 0 | Yellow cards | 0 |
| 0 | Red cards | 0 |
| 2 | Keeper saves | 3 |
| 530 | Total assists | 310 |
| 462 | Accurate assists | 253 |
| 87% | Accuracy of passes | 82% |