A sad day for Italian football.

In the early hours of April 17th, Bologna lost to Aston Villa 0-4, thus being eliminated in the Europa League quarter-finals with an aggregate score of 1-7.

The last two Italian representatives in this season's European Cup, Bologna and Fiorentina, both played early this morning and both suffered the same fate: elimination.

While Fiorentina salvaged some pride with a 2-1 victory over Crystal Palace in the Conference League, Bologna could only succumb to the overwhelming power of Aston Villa.

Bologna had no chance of winning.

Although Bologna started the match with determination, thanks to the efforts of Federico Bernardeschi and Jonathan Rowe, the timely return of goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez neutralized any threats. With their defense solid, Villa's attack began its impressive performance.

In the 15th minute, following a sharp combination with Buendía and Rogers, Ollie Watkins tapped the ball in from close range to open the scoring. This was a historic milestone as he became the first Villa player to score 100 goals for the club and 10 goals in European competitions.

Although Morgan Rogers missed a penalty in the 25th minute, the fans at Villa Park didn't have to wait long to celebrate the second goal. Just a few minutes later, Emiliano Buendía produced a superb piece of skill near the byline before finishing with a delicate shot to double the lead. Before the first half ended, Morgan Rogers redeemed himself with a powerful shot past Ravaglia, ending a 12-match goalless streak.

Unai Emery and his team are thriving.

Entering the second half with a comfortable lead, Unai Emery's side deliberately slowed down the pace of the game but still managed to score a fourth goal thanks to a beautiful strike from defender Ezri Konsa. This victory not only extended Villa's winning streak to nine consecutive home games in European competitions but also marked their sixth consecutive clean sheet against Italian teams.

With this devastating form, Aston Villa is sending a strong warning to Nottingham Forest, their opponent in the upcoming all-English semi-final.

Source: https://znews.vn/ngay-buon-cua-bong-da-italy-post1644200.html