Donyell Malen Inspires Aston Villa as Nottingham Forest Claim Crucial Europa League Victory

Donyell Malen netted twice as Aston Villa secured a 2–1 win over Young Boys in a Europa League encounter overshadowed by crowd disturbances on Thursday, while Nottingham Forest eased past Malmö with a confident performance at the City Ground.

Malen opened the scoring for Villa with a deft header from a Youri Tielemans delivery, but the celebration was cut short when he was struck on the head by an object thrown from the away section. The Dutch international sustained a minor cut but continued, doubling Villa’s lead shortly before the interval after being set up by Morgan Rogers.

Tensions flared among the visiting supporters following the goal, with Young Boys fans clashing with police. Captain Loris Benito approached the away end to calm the situation as the match was temporarily halted.

Joel Monteiro struck in the 90th minute to give the Swiss side late hope, but Villa held on to record their fourth win in five group-stage fixtures, leaving them behind Lyon and Midtjylland only on goal difference.

The result continues Villa’s impressive resurgence, with the club now boasting 10 wins from their last 12 matches across all competitions. This comes after opening their Premier League campaign with a five-match winless run.

“I think we’ve turned it around quite well. We just have to keep this form, stay humble and work hard,” Malen told TNT Sports, adding that he was “fine” after being hit by what appeared to be a plastic cup.

At the City Ground, Nottingham Forest delivered a commanding 3–0 victory over Malmö in a fixture reminiscent of the 1979 European Cup final. Ryan Yates curled home the opener before Arnaud Kalimuendo tapped in from close range to claim his first goal for the club. Nikola Milenković sealed the win on the hour, securing Forest’s second victory in five European matches and lifting Sean Dyche’s side into 16th place on eight points.

“It is unbelievable. These nights at the City Ground in Europe are ones we have to cherish. They are just so special,” Yates told TNT Sports. “We knew that if we played to our potential, we would get the result.”

Elsewhere, Lyon moved into top spot with a commanding 6–0 victory over Maccabi Tel Aviv in Serbia, with captain Corentin Tolisso scoring a hat-trick. Abner Vinicius, Moussa Niakhaté and Adam Karabec also found the net for the French side.

Midtjylland, previously unbeaten in the league phase, slipped to a 2–1 defeat away to Serie A leaders Roma. Neil El Aynaoui and Stephan El Shaarawy scored for the hosts before Paulinho grabbed a consolation.

Celtic earned a valuable 3–1 win at Feyenoord despite conceding early to Ayase Ueda. The Scottish champions responded through Yang Hyun-jun, Reo Hatate and substitute Benjamin Nygren, lifting them into the play-off positions with their second win in five matches.

Rangers collected their first point of the campaign after four straight defeats, drawing 1–1 at home to Braga in a match that ended with both sides reduced to ten men. James Tavernier converted a penalty for Rangers, while Gabri Martínez levelled for the visitors.