Unai Emery Praises John McGinn As Key Difference-Maker In Aston Villa's Europa League Win

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Aston Villa's impressive 2-0 victory over Feyenoord in the Europa League was highlighted by Unai Emery, who praised John McGinn as a crucial player. This win marked Villa's third consecutive triumph across all competitions, with second-half goals from Emiliano Buendia and McGinn securing the result in Rotterdam.

Since returning to top-tier European football in the 2023-24 season, Aston Villa has achieved remarkable success. They have recorded 16 victories across major European competitions, trailing only Real Madrid (19), PSG (18), and Bayern Munich (17). Villa's wins include six in the Conference League, eight in the Champions League, and two in the Europa League.

Feyenoord's defeat extended their losing streak to four consecutive major European matches. This is their longest run of defeats since experiencing seven losses between November 2016 and November 2017.

John McGinn's goal against Feyenoord added to his impressive record for Aston Villa. He now has eight goals in major European competitions for the club, equalling Gary Shaw and trailing only Peter Withe, who scored nine. McGinn also became the first player to score in three consecutive European appearances for Villa.

Emery expressed his admiration for McGinn, stating: "He is challenging as a captain as well. He plays with a lot of emotions, and his motivation is always high. His capacity to respond in the difficult moments [is great]. When he is playing and we need something more, he's always ready to do it."

Team Performance and Resilience

Emery was pleased with his team's overall performance, noting that they found their rhythm after a slow start to the 2025-26 season. "The match was tough," Emery said. "We were ready to compete and to be resilient. The test we had today was a fantastic test, especially in the first half they had some chances."

In the second half, Villa took control of the game. Emery praised his players' response on the field: "This is a fantastic win, and we competed fantastically. I'm so proud of how the players responded on the field."

Goalkeeper Bizot's Contribution

Marco Bizot stepped up as goalkeeper after Emiliano Martinez was injured during warm-up. Bizot made eight crucial saves for Villa against Feyenoord. Among goalkeepers with at least ten appearances in major European competitions since last season, only Thibaut Courtois has averaged more saves per 90 minutes than Bizot.

Bizot leads this season's Europa League with 15 saves so far. Emery acknowledged Bizot's performance: "There have been players that weren't available. And in the situation with the goalkeeper [Bizot] today, it was fantastic how he replaced Emi Martinez."

Aston Villa continues to demonstrate resilience and skill on their European journey this season.