October 05, (THEWILL) – Aston Villa left it late to scrape past Zrinjski Mostar at Villa Park on Thursday evening, with captain, John McGinn, popping up in the 94th minute to spare his side’s blushes.
Despite bossing possession and territory for much of the Europa Conference League clash, Villa struggled to break down a well-drilled Mostar outfit determined to spring an upset. The visitors had the better chances in the first half, with Nemanja Bilbija wasting a gilt-edged opportunity, before Villa turned the screw after the break.
The hosts thought they had a penalty when Ollie Watkins’ header struck a Mostar defender, only for the referee to overturn his initial decision after a VAR review showed the ball had hit the player’s face rather than hand.
Unai Emery brought on the cavalry from the bench and Villa laid siege to the Mostar goal, but a winner proved elusive until the dying moments. When it came, it was talisman McGinn who popped up, nodding home from close range after fine work from Matty Cash down the right flank.
The Scottish midfielder’s last gasp intervention keeps Villa’s European hopes alive. But on a night when Mostar were made to look anything but whipping boys, Emery will know his side must improve significantly if they are to progress from Group E.
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
