Aston Villa Secure Europa League Last-16 Place as Nottingham Forest Drop into Conference League Play-offs

Aston Villa booked their place in the last 16 of the Europa League on Thursday night with a hard-fought 1-0 victory away to Fenerbahçe, while Nottingham Forest slipped into the Conference League play-offs following defeat in Portugal.

Jadon Sancho’s first-half header in Istanbul proved decisive, earning Unai Emery’s side their sixth win in seven European matches. The result confirmed a top-eight finish for Villa, allowing them to bypass the knockout phase play-offs and advance directly to the last 16.

Villa were forced to withstand significant pressure in the second half, with Matty Cash striking the post and goalkeeper Marco Bizot producing a series of vital saves as Fenerbahçe searched for an equaliser.

“I’m just happy to get my first goal for Aston Villa and to cap it off with a win,” said Sancho, who joined on loan from Manchester United in September, speaking to TNT Sports.

“I know I can do a lot more and I’m very hard on myself, but it helps having a manager who believes in you. Every opportunity I get, I’ll give everything and hopefully deliver more goals.”

Villa sit second in the standings on 18 points, trailing leaders Lyon only on goal difference.

Lyon also sealed their place in the last 16 with a 1-0 win away to Young Boys, thanks to a goal from former Arsenal midfielder Ainsley Maitland-Niles.

Forest punished by costly lapse

Nottingham Forest face the prospect of navigating the play-offs after a disappointing 1-0 defeat away to Braga, who climbed to fifth in the table.

Forest missed a golden opportunity to take the lead early in the second half when Morgan Gibbs-White saw his penalty saved. Moments later, Braga capitalised at the other end as Forest captain Ryan Yates inadvertently turned the ball into his own net.

The visitors’ frustration was compounded in stoppage time when Elliot Anderson was sent off for dissent.

“It’s very frustrating — one minute of madness in a game we never looked in trouble,” Forest manager Sean Dyche told TNT Sports.

“You might accept a draw, but we shouldn’t lose that game. They barely had a chance, and then we concede.”

Celtic cling to qualification hopes

Celtic were left clinging to qualification hopes after surrendering a two-goal lead in a 2-2 draw away to Bologna. The result leaves the Scottish champions 24th in the 36-team table, occupying the final play-off position ahead of next week’s decisive final round.

Martin O’Neill’s side took an early lead through Reo Hatate, but the midfielder was sent off for a second booking midway through the first half. Despite being reduced to 10 men, Celtic doubled their advantage before the break through Auston Trusty.

Bologna fought back after the interval, however, with goals from Thijs Dallinga and Jonathan Rowe securing a share of the points.

“We’ve given ourselves a chance — and that’s all it is, a chance — to qualify,” O’Neill said.

“If we had stayed with 11 men, I believe we would have won the game.”

Celtic will host winless Utrecht in their final group-stage fixture next Thursday.

Rangers exit despite victory

Rangers’ European campaign came to an end despite a 1-0 victory over Ludogorets at Ibrox, where Mohamed Diomande scored the only goal of the match.

Elsewhere, Freiburg and Midtjylland remain on the brink of securing last-16 qualification, while Roma strengthened their position with a 2-0 win over Stuttgart — their fourth consecutive victory in the Europa League.