Aston Villa defeated Lille 1-0 in the first leg of their UEFA Europa League Round of 16 tie in the 2025/26 season, after Watkins scored the winning goal. Konsa stated that the team is not overly optimistic and therefore must secure qualification in the second leg.

In the 61st minute of the second half, Konsa orchestrated an attack with a long pass, Buendia headed the ball across, and Watkins then headed it into the net, giving Aston Villa a 1-0 lead.

Ultimately, Aston Villa defeated Ligue 1 side Lyonnais 1-0 away from home, gaining a slight advantage in their pursuit of the quarterfinals.

Aston Villa defender Konsa said, "So far, so good. The past few months haven't been ideal for us; we haven't achieved the results we needed. But we know how important this game is, and we must win. We played here a few years ago, and we know how tough it is here."

“For me, the most important thing is that we kept a clean sheet, which is something we haven’t been able to do in the last few games. We won’t be too happy about it because we know there’s a second leg to play. We have to focus on that game and get to the next round.”

Furthermore, Aston Villa will travel to Old Trafford to face Manchester United in the 30th round of the Premier League. Aston Villa currently sits in 4th place with 51 points, facing a very competitive race for Champions League qualification.

Konsa continued, "We had eight days to prepare before this match, so we had enough time to prepare and to readjust our mentality, putting the Premier League aside for the time being. But this match is over, and we are about to face another important game."

"Football always has its ups and downs, and there will be some low points. I hope this victory can be the beginning of a new wave of good form for us."

In addition, Lille defender Thomas Meunier said in an interview, "We are very disappointed. We hoped to win the first leg at home and we hoped to score a goal, but in the end we lost. However, it's not over yet, and I don't think Aston Villa were significantly better than us in terms of intensity or pace of the game."

“Things have been difficult since January, and we’ve had a hard time winning games. We’re definitely struggling right now. The team has also had some injuries, so it’s a complicated phase. We’re trying to find solutions, but sometimes that takes time.”

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