Aston Villa and Nottingham Forest reach Europa League quarter-finals
Crystal Palace into Conference League last eight
Report: Aston Villa 2-0 Lille (3-0 agg)
Report: Midtjylland 1-2 Nottingham Forest (agg 2-2, 0-3 on penalties)
Report: AEK Larnaca 1-2 Crystal Palace (agg 1-2)
Aston Villa 0-0 Lille (agg 1-0)
This is Tammy Abraham's 50th appearance in all competitions for Aston Villa, having scored 28 goals so far for the club. Of the current Aston Villa squad, only Ollie Watkins (96) and John McGinn (35) have scored more goals for the Villans.
Midtjylland 1-2 Nottingham Forest (agg 2-2)
Joe Hart
Former England goalkeeper on TNT Sports
Elliot Anderson has been in the thick of everything. I love his attitude, he just gets up, gets on with it. He's involved in every battle, he's been rumbling with them all. He keeps his head, top player.
Midtjylland 1-2 Nottingham Forest (agg 2-2)
A real physical battle this has been. Tired legs are creeping in now and the crowd are doing their best to keep their side up for this.
AEK Larnaca 1-2 Crystal Palace (agg 1-2)
Larnaca's Enzo Cabrera is in pain on the floor after clattering into Jefferson Lerma.
The attacker is replaced by Waldo Rubio after appearing to jolt his knee.
Aston Villa 0-0 Lille (agg 1-0)
Dion Dublin
Former Aston Villa striker on BBC Radio 5 Live at Villa Park
It's a lovely run from Jadon Sancho. He just rolls it into Douglas Luiz's path. It's really sharp play.
Midtjylland 1-2 Nottingham Forest (agg 2-2)
Joe Hart
Former England goalkeeper on TNT Sports
If you are a Nottingham Forest fan wondering where your players' heads are at in this difficult part of the season, they are absolutely on it. They have been excellent tonight.
Aston Villa 0-0 Lille (agg 1-0)
Almost an early goal for Villa with Douglas Luiz looking for the bottom corner after good work from Jadon Sancho, but Luiz's effort from 22 yards is blocked with the ball then rebounding off a defender and off Villa skipper John McGinn, with the ball looping over.
AEK Larnaca 1-2 Crystal Palace (agg 1-2)
Each Palace player is holding onto the ball as if their lives depend on it. They aren't risking anything during the second half of extra time.
AEK Larnaca 1-2 Crystal Palace (agg 1-2)
Robert Mudrazija replaced Pere Pons for Larnaca during the half-time break.
ET HT: AEK Larnaca 1-2 Crystal Palace (1-2 agg)
If Crystal Palace see this game through they will have a glamour tie in the quarter-finals with Italian side Fiorentina their potential opponents.
Fiorentina came from behind to defeat Polish side Raków Częstochowa 2-1 in Poland to win 4-2 on aggregate.
Fiorentina's squad includes former Manchester United goalkeeper David de Gea, although he didn't play today, former Everton striker Moise Kean and midfielder Jack Harrison, who is on loan from Leeds.
The first leg would be in London on 9 April, with the second leg in Florence a week later.
Fiorentina are not having a good season domestically as they are 16th out of 20 teams in Serie A, only four points above the relegation zone.
Aston Villa v Lille (20:00 GMT, 1-0 agg)
Under way at Villa Park.
Image source, Getty ImagesAEK Larnaca 1-2 Crystal Palace (agg 1-2)
Back under way in Cyprus.
Midtjylland 1-2 Nottingham Forest (agg 2-2)
After a quick drink and a quick chat, we're back under way.
Penalties in sight...
AEK Larnaca 1-2 Crystal Palace (agg 1-2)
Ismaila Sarr’s double has Palace 2–1 up at half‑time in extra time.
Oliver Glasner's side have one foot in the quarter-finals.
Image source, Getty Images
Image source, Getty ImagesElsewhere in the Europa League, German side Freiburg lost the first leg 1-0 to Belgian side Genk, but turned it around to win 5-1 and 5-2 on aggregate.
Lyon came top of the league phase, but they are out as they had two players sent off during their 2-0 home loss to Celta Vigo, with the Spanish side progressing 3-1 on aggregate.
Freiburg now play Celta Vigo, but both sides are in the other half of the draw to both Aston Villa and Nottingham Forest so could only face an English team in the final, if either of them got that far.
Nottingham Forest or Midtjylland will play either Porto or Stuttgart, with the Portuguese side 2-1 ahead going into their home second leg, with that one starting soon.
Aston Villa also begin their second leg soon, holding a 1-0 advantage over Lille. The winners of that will have Italian opposition in the quarter-finals, either Roma or Bologna with that all square at 1-1 after the first leg in Bologna.
Midtjylland 1-2 Nottingham Forest (agg 2-2)
A big save from Stefan Ortega from Cho Gue-sung's driving shot and that results in a corner.
It's cleared down field and that is the last action of the first half of extra time.
Still no closer to knowing who will be in the last eight.
Aston Villa v Lille (20:00, GMT, agg 1-0)
Nick Mashiter
BBC Sport football news reporter at Villa Park
As the teams walk out Villa fans in the Holte End hold up cards which spell 'Emery 100' to mark the manager's century of wins for the club, which came with victory at Lille last week.
AEK Larnaca 1-2 Crystal Palace (agg 1-2)
Ismaila Sarr rattles the crossbar with a thunderous effort from outside the box!
Seconds later, Jorgen Strand Larsen’s header strikes the post and neither he nor Jean‑Philippe Mateta are able to bundle the ball over the line.
How is this only 2–1?!
Midtjylland 1-2 Nottingham Forest (agg 2-2)
Darío Osorio is replaced by Edward Chilufya for the hosts.
Aston Villa v Lille (20:00 GMT, 1-0 agg)
Image source, Getty ImagesAston Villa have won just two of their last nine matches in all competitions as they have dropped out of the Premier League title hunt and are now looking over their shoulders in the race for Champions League qualification.
But boss Unai Emery – three times a Europa League winner as Sevilla head coach – has called for perspective.
“It (our form) can feel a little strange, but we are playing the second leg in the last 16 of the Europa League, and when we arrived here three and a half years ago, it was a dream in that moment,” the Spaniard said.
“Wow, it was so difficult to think we could achieve it in the period time we have, so quick. And how we are being consistent in Premier League, being fourth, even though we have lost in the last three matches, we are fourth in the league.
“It was a huge dream three years ago. Of course, we are being so, so demanding, and sometimes to be demanding like we are, we can become as frustrated.”
Villa would face Roma or Bologna if they can get past Ligue 1 side Lille.
Manager: Unai Emery
Formation: 4 - 2 - 3 - 1
Manager: Bruno Génésio
Formation: 3 - 4 - 3
Manager: Unai Emery
Formation: 4 - 2 - 3 - 1
Manager: Bruno Génésio
Formation: 3 - 4 - 3
UEFA Europa League
All competitions
All competitions
All competitions
Aston Villa’s only previous time hosting Lille in major European competition came in the 2023-24 UEFA Conference League, winning 2-1 in the first leg of a quarter-final tie; the Villans lost 2-1 in the second leg but did eventually progress on penalties.
Lille have never won on nine previous visits to England in major European competition (D1 L8), losing their last seven in a row since a 0-0 draw with Manchester United at Old Trafford in the 2005-06 UEFA Champions League group stage.
Aston Villa have won each of their last six UEFA Europa League games and the only English team to put together a longer winning streak in the competition are Chelsea between April 2013 and November 2018, an eight-match run which encompassed the 2012-13 final.
Lille have lost six games in the UEFA Europa League this season, their outright most defeats in a major European campaign – they have also lost three of their last four away matches, but did beat Crvena Zvezda 2-0 in the previous round.
Aston Villa’s Ollie Watkins will be looking to score in back-to-back major European appearances for the first time since April 2024, when the second goal came against Lille in the UEFA Conference League; four of the Englishman’s last five goals in Europe have come in the knockout stages, with Lille one of two sides he has netted more than once against (also AZ).
