Aston Villa celebrated a 2-0 victory against Feyenoord during their Europa League match on October 2. Meanwhile, Nottingham Forest faced a setback at home, losing to the Danish team Midtjylland. Additionally, both Rangers and Celtic experienced losses in their matches as well.
Villa’s Perfect Start in Rotterdam
Emi Buendia skillfully scored a stunning goal from 20 yards out, and John McGinn added a second goal as Aston Villa celebrated a victory in Rotterdam. This win marked a joyful return to the city where Villa achieved their famous European Cup victory in 1982.
Villa started their season on a tough note, not winning any of their first six games. However, under coach Unai Emery, the team has turned things around, winning three games in a row. They are now one of seven teams with a perfect six points in the Europa League.
Marco Bizot made some important saves while playing for Villa after unexpectedly being called up to replace Emiliano Martinez, who is said to have hurt his calf.
“It was tough at the start of the season, but we always held on to our belief and optimism,” Bizot shared with TNT Sports.
“We still have the enthusiasm and energy, even when things didn’t start off very well. Now, we hope to maintain this positive momentum moving forward.”
Forest’s Defensive Woes Continue
Forest struggled with their defense during corner kicks and free kicks, which allowed Midtjylland to secure a 3-2 victory at the City Ground. As a result, new manager Ange Postecoglou is still looking for his first win with the team.
Defenders Ousmane Diao and Mads Bech scored for Midtjylland, helping their team take the lead. They capitalized on mistakes made by Forest during a free-kick and a corner kick. Dan Ndoye also scored in the match, making it a tough day for Forest.
Valdemar Andreasen scored the winning goal just two minutes before the game ended, while Chris Wood managed to score a penalty for Forest during the stoppage time.
“I’m really disappointed. We let in some very weak goals during the first half,” said Postecoglou.
“Our recent games have shown that some important moments have cost us dearly.”
Nottingham Forest is competing in European football for the first time in 30 years! So far, they’ve managed to earn just one point after their opening match ended in a 2-2 draw against Real Betis in Spain.
Rangers’ Defeat in Austria
Rangers had a tough start to the season as they faced another setback, losing 2-1 to the Austrian team Sturm Graz. The team’s struggles have added pressure on their manager, Russell Martin.
Tomi Horvat scored the first goal for the home team, putting them ahead early in the match. Otar Kiteishvili added another goal, taking advantage of a moment when the Rangers team lost focus and allowed a free-kick to result in a score.
Djeidi Gassama scored a goal that reduced the gap, but it was another tough evening for Rangers, who still have not earned any points in their European matches.
“You can’t begin like that,” said Martin. “It’s all about the mindset.”
After suffering a disappointing 9-1 loss on aggregate in the Champions League qualifying rounds against Club Brugge, the team faced another setback with a 1-0 defeat at home to Genk in their first Europa League match.
The Rangers are having a tough time in Scotland, currently sitting in eighth place out of twelve teams in the league.
“Being the Rangers manager is a unique and challenging,” Martin said. “It’s also a bit frustrating.”
Celtic’s Goal Drought at Parkhead
Celtic faced a disappointing 2-0 defeat at home against Braga, leaving them only one point ahead of their rivals from Glasgow in the Europa League standings.
The Scottish champions gave up an early goal at Parkhead when Ricardo Horta scored with a long shot that caught goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel off guard.
Kelechi Iheanacho had a goal that would have tied the game disallowed early in the second half after a video review. It was ruled out because of a questionable handball call.
Celtic’s chances of turning the game around faded when substitute Gabri Martinez scored a messy second goal for the visiting Portuguese team in the closing moments.
Celtic has struggled to find the back of the net in five out of their 12 matches this season. This includes two matches where they ended without scoring against Kairat Almaty in the Champions League play-offs.
The team from Kazakhstan won the match in a series of penalty kicks, which meant that Celtic had to settle for competing in the Europa League instead.
“Whatever the problem may be, I have to figure out a way to solve it,” said Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers.
“We’ve had too many games lately where we haven’t managed to score, and that’s surprising for a team that was the highest-scoring team in the club’s history last season, achieving this in over 50 years.”
“It’s up to me to figure out how to solve that problem.”
Porto, Lyon, and Lille all recorded victories to keep their winning streaks going, while Basel, Real Betis, and Fenerbahce recovered from their initial defeats.
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