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Unai Emery encouraged Aston Villa to complete the task at hand after securing their place in the knockouts of the Europa Conference League.
The team’s goal is to secure first place in Group E after their 2-1 victory against Legia Warsaw on Thursday.
Alex Moreno’s goal, in his first game back from a hamstring injury since May, secured the win for the team. The victory came after Moussa Diaby’s goal was equalized by Ernest Muci in the first half.
The win occurred following a confrontation between Legia supporters and police, resulting in three officers being injured. As a result, the fans were not allowed to enter Villa Park.
Villa has surpassed Legia to take the lead in the group standings. They only require one point in their upcoming game in Mostar next month to secure a spot in the last 16.
Emery stated his satisfaction with the team’s performance, noting that they began the competition with a loss in Warsaw but have since improved and played well.
We were confident and determined to finish in first place. While we are not there yet, we are getting closer.
“This tournament holds great significance as it involves a trophy and provides an opportunity for certain players to gain playing time. We were fortunate to have Alex Moreno return, as well as see Jacob Ramsey and Jhon Duran play a full 90 minutes. As a team, it was crucial for us to have strong performances from each individual player.”
Diaby scored in the fourth minute after being sent running down the right by Youri Tielemans. He then cut inside and found the corner of the goal.
Jhon Duran came close to scoring a second goal before Legia took advantage of a major mistake by Boubacar Kamara after 20 minutes.
The midfielder accepted the ball from Robin Olsen near the box, but immediately passed it to Muci, who successfully shot it into the top corner.
Boosted by the support, Legia regrouped and came close to scoring just three minutes into the second half with Gil Dias’ header hitting the crossbar.
However, it reignited Villa’s energy and, despite Diaby being stopped by Kacper Tobiasz, Moreno scored the game-winning goal in the 59th minute by volleying in a free kick from Douglas Luiz.
In September, Legia defeated Villa 3-2 in the first game. Currently, they are three points behind and are preparing for a match against a team that will be moving from the Europa League to the last 32 in February.
Boss Kosta Runjaic said: “It’s the expected result but we faced it in a pretty good way. Villa have a lot of power at home and are unbeaten since February.
“The initial 45 minutes were evenly matched, as we attempted to play with determination and ultimately secured an incredible goal. While Villa displayed a strong performance, we could have defended their free-kick more effectively, leading to a well-deserved victory for Villa.”
“We have one remaining game, and we will be fully prepared for it.”
Source: independent.co.uk
