Feyenoord – Aston Villa: Clinical Aston Villa Punish Feyenoord’s First-Half Dominance (0-2)

Aston Villa emerged from the cauldron of De Kuip with a hard-fought 2-0 victory over Feyenoord, making it two wins from two in the UEFA Europa League group stage. The result was a testament to Unai Emery's tactical discipline and the visitors' resilience, as they weathered a first-half onslaught from the Eredivisie leaders before striking decisively in the second period. Goals from Emiliano Buendía and captain John McGinn sealed the points for the Villans, who now sit in a commanding position in their group.

Tactical analysis and match report by Aderemi Qoyum.

Aston Villa, fresh off a 1-0 victory against Bologna in their opener, faced a tough test in a raucous Rotterdam. A last-minute injury to goalkeeper Emi Martínez in the warm-up forced a change, with Marco Bizot stepping in for his debut. Feyenoord, led by former Arsenal and Manchester United striker Robin van Persie, were looking to bounce back from a loss to Braga and assert their dominance on home soil.

Feyenoord lined up in a 4-3-3 formation: Timon Wellenreuther in goal; a back four of Givairo Read, Anel Ahmedhodzic, Tsuyoshi Watanabe, and Gijs Smal; a midfield trio of Luciano Valente, Sem Steijn, and In-Beom Hwang; and a front three of Anis Hadj Moussa, Ayase Ueda, and Leo Sauer.

Aston Villa, in a 4-2-3-1, had Bizot between the sticks; a defensive line of Matty Cash, Ezri Konsa, Pau Torres, and Ian Maatsen; a midfield double pivot of Boubacar Kamara and John McGinn; a trio of Evann Guessand, Morgan Rogers, and Emiliano Buendía behind lone striker Ollie Watkins.

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