On 14 December, one of the matches of the Football Conference League took place. Zrinjski (Bosnia and Herzegovina) and Aston Villa (England) met.
Conference League
Zrinjski (Bosnia and Herzegovina) - Aston Villa ( England) - 1:1 (0:0)
Go als: M. Mal ek inusik (87) - As ton Villa (England) - 1:1 (0:0) Goal: M. Malekinusik (87) - Zagnolo (61)
Warnings: Chanagia (3), Zagnolo (37), McGinn (84), M. Malekinusik (87).
In a UEFA Europa League Conference match at the Bijeli Brijeg Stadium, Zrinski held on to a 1-1 draw with Aston Villa. After a goalless break, both teams fought hard for the win. The match started at an aggressive pace, with both teams showing their desire to win. Already in the 3rd minute Zrinjski player D. Kanadia received a yellow card, emphasising the physicality of the game. In the first few minutes the game was played in an equal struggle, but neither team could achieve success. In the 34th minute Zrinjski made a substitution, releasing T. Kisa instead of D. Kanadia, apparently wanting to bring new energy into the attack. Three minutes later, Aston Villa's N. Zaniolo received a yellow card, and the match continued in a fierce struggle. The second half brought more emotions as Aston Villa gained momentum. In the 57th minute J. Ramsey was replaced by J. McGinn, and then A. Moreno replaced L. Deeney. Aston Villa's efforts bore fruit in the 61st minute when N. Zagnolo struck into the far corner to put his team ahead.
Zrinski, unwilling to give up, made two substitutions in the 67th minute, bringing on M. Kuze and K. Memija in place of F. Sablić and A. Hrvanović respectively. Aston Villa also made a substitution in the 69th minute, with P. Torres replacing Diego Carlos and M. Cash replacing K. Chambers. The game remained tense, with shots coming from both sides. In the 84th minute J. McGinn received a yellow card for Aston Villa for an untimely attack. In the final minutes of the match, Zrinski's hard work paid off in the 87th minute. M. Malekinušić scored an impressive goal to equalise the score, much to the jubilation of the home crowd. However, immediately after the goal Malekinusic was shown a yellow card. In a last attempt to save the victory, Zrinjski made the last substitution in the 90th minute, replacing M. Malekinušić with L. Marin. The match ended in a 1-1 draw, allowing both teams to take the positives from the game. Both Zrinjski and Aston Villa showed great determination and skill throughout the match, creating an exciting and equal contest. The draw comes ahead of an intriguing return match, in which both teams will be looking to secure a place in the next round of the UEFA Europa League.
| Zrinjski | Aston Villa | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kicks to the goal | 6 |
| 5 | Kicks | 10 |
| 0 | Blocked shots | 3 |
| 2 | Penalty kicks | 5 |
| 3 | Kicks from outside the penalty area | 5 |
| 3 | Offences | 10 |
| 3 | Corner | 8 |
| 4 | Offsides | 0 |
| 24% | Ball possession | 76% |
| 2 | Yellow cards | 2 |
| 0 | Red cards | 0 |
| 5 | Keeper saves | 0 |
| 191 | Total assists | 633 |
| 127 | Accurate assists | 571 |
| 66% | Accuracy of passes | 90% |