Aston Villa and Nottingham Forest reach Europa League semis, set all-English clash
Aston Villa demolished Bologna 4-0 at Villa Park on April 16, 2026, overturning a 3-1 first-leg lead to win 7-1 on aggregate. Ollie Watkins scored twice, Emiliano Buendia added a goal, Morgan Rogers netted twice, and Ezri Konsa sealed the win with an 89th-minute volley. Meanwhile, Nottingham Forest beat Porto 1-0 at the City Ground, with Morgan Gibbs-White scoring in the 12th minute, to progress 2-1 on aggregate after a first-leg draw. The results set up an all-English Europa League semi-final: Villa will face Forest, while the other semi-final pits Freiburg against Sporting Braga. For Nigerian fans who follow the English Premier League, this means two familiar clubs are still alive in European competition, offering more high-stakes matches to watch and potential bragging rights among supporters. The semi-final legs are scheduled for the last week of April and first week of May, with exact dates and kick-off times to be confirmed by UEFA. Will you tune in to the Villa-Forest clash to see which English side advances, or will you be watching the Freiburg-Braga game for a different flavor of European football?