Aston Villa booked their place in the round of 16 of the UEFA Europa League with a hard-fought away victory over Fenerbahce, capping a memorable European night in Istanbul.

The match carried special significance for Unai Emery, who marked his 100th game in the competition — a tournament synonymous with the Spanish coach’s pedigree. Inside a hostile and intense Turkish stadium, Aston Villa showed resilience, discipline and maturity to edge the contest by the narrowest of margins.

The decisive moment arrived through Jadon Sancho, who scored his first goal in a Villa shirt to break the deadlock. The winger kept his composure in a tense atmosphere, delivering a finish that ultimately proved enough to separate the sides.

Defensively, the visitors were forced to dig deep. Goalkeeper Marco Bizot produced a series of assured interventions to repel sustained pressure from Fenerbahce’s star-studded attacking line, preserving the clean sheet and frustrating the home crowd.

The victory confirms Aston Villa’s place among the elite eight teams of the Europa League, securing direct qualification to the knockout stage with room to spare. In doing so, they join Lyon as clubs who have already wrapped up progression ahead of the final round.

2025-26, Europa League

Fenerbahce - Aston Villa 0:1 (0:1)
Goals: Sancho, 25 (0:1)

Fenerbahce: Ederson; Müldür; Oosterwolde; Semedo N. (Demir Y., 56); Škriniar; Yüksek (Alvarez Ed., 73); Dorgeles (Talisca, 56); Fred; Aktürkoglu; Asensio; Durán
Substitution: Demir Y. (from 56); Talisca (from 56); Alvarez Ed. (from 73)
Bench: Çetin T.; Soyuncu; Karataş; Aydin O.
Yellow Cards: Dorgeles 44; Oosterwolde 45; Müldür 79; Škriniar 88

Aston Villa: Bizot; Lindelöf; Mings; Digne; Cash (Maatsen I., 75); Tielemans (Hemmings, 90); Watkins; Bogarde L.; Buendia (Onana A., 75); Sancho (Andrés García, 75); Rogers M. (Guessand, 75)
Substitution: Maatsen I. (from 75); Onana A. (from 75); Andrés García (from 75); Guessand (from 75); Hemmings (from 90)
Bench: Proctor; Wright J.; Konsa; Torres Pau; Jimoh; Young K.
Yellow Cards: Digne 53; Lindelöf 77; Tielemans 89; Bogarde L. 90; Guessand 90