My first European night at VP since 2010 I believe. A game devoid of action in the first 45 buy n large. A resolute, well organised, defensive performance from AZ for 55 minutes frustrated Villa (much like Forest the preceding week) and they were good value for their goal having tested martinez a few times before breaking the deadlock. It did have the feeling that villa would need a set piece to score after having created hardly anything all game (barring the disallowed goal after 3 minutes which should’ve been scored by watkins nonetheless). A good delivery that just required a glance from Diego Carlos surprised the villa faithful more than anything and the boys in claret found themselves on top for the remainder of the game. A fantastic, patient, passing move which had been seen in fragments up to this point but never amounted to anything created a sublime team goal finished off by a watkins header from 8 yards out after a fantastic through ball from Douglas Luiz. Villa well worth the victory and that should at least see us through to the knockout stage of the UECL.
