Aston Villa defeated Young Boys 2-1 in the fifth round of the 2025/26 UEFA Europa League, thanks to a brace from Malen. In an interview, Malen said the team created numerous chances throughout the match and emphasized the importance of enjoying the game and feeling confident.

Tielemans chipped a pass into the box in the 27th minute, and Malen headed it in to give Aston Villa a 1-0 lead. In the 42nd minute, Malen received a long pass from Morgan Rodgers, entered the box, and slotted the ball home to extend Aston Villa's lead over Young Boys to 2-0.

In the 90th minute of the second half, Joel Montero broke through Aston Villa's goal in the penalty area, pulling one back for Young Boys to make it 1-2.

Aston Villa ultimately defeated Young Boys Bern 2-1 at home. Aston Villa currently sits in 3rd place in the standings with 12 points, and their prospects for advancing look promising.

Aston Villa striker Malen said, "I feel great. As a team, we played well and created a lot of chances. To be honest, I probably should have scored two more goals, but overall I feel great."

“We had to stay focused. Young Boys are not a weak team, and we had to play to our abilities, which I think we did. We created a lot of chances in the first half and had chances to extend our lead in the second half as well. We have to take it one game at a time. The Premier League is certainly a very important competition, but the Europa League is equally important for us.”

So far this season, Malen has scored 3 goals for Aston Villa in the Europa League and 3 goals in the Premier League.

In addition, Malen shared, "To be honest, I approach every game with the mindset of wanting to play my own style and shine. I am a person of faith, and I fight for God. I just want to play football and enjoy every step of the way on the pitch."

"Feeling confident and happy on the field is the most important thing. I think many players feel happy on the field, and that feeling is very special."