Aston Villa sealed their place in the UEFA Europa League round of 16 with a stunning 3-2 comeback victory over Red Bull Salzburg on Thursday, capped by a dramatic 87th-minute winner from 19-year-old Jamaldeen Jimoh-Aloba. The victory, however, was marred by an injury to star striker Ollie Watkins.
Villa found themselves 2-0 down after an own goal from Victor Lindelöf and a strike from Moussa Yeo. The fightback began in the 64th minute with a goal from Morgan Rogers, followed by a Tyrone Mings equalizer, setting the stage for Jimoh-Aloba's historic first goal for the club.
Despite the win, Villa finished second in the 36-team league phase behind Lyon on goal difference, after the French side beat PAOK 4-2. Both teams had already secured automatic qualification for the last 16, avoiding the playoff round.
The match was preceded by a moment of silence across European stadiums to honor seven PAOK fans who died in a minibus crash in Romania earlier this week while traveling to Lyon.
Meanwhile, Portuguese giants Porto and Italian side AS Roma clinched the coveted top-eight spots, earning direct passage to the last 16. Porto rallied to beat Rangers 3-1, while Roma drew 1-1 with Panathinaikos. They join Lyon, Villa, Midtjylland, Real Betis, Braga, and Freiburg in the automatic qualification places.
Teams finishing 9th to 24th, including Celtic and Nottingham Forest, will enter a two-legged playoff to join them.
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