Aston Villa have, in several games in the past, potentially deemed their best comeback in the second leg in the continental competition.
Aston Villa is on a mission to make a comeback win on Thursday following their loss in the first leg of the Europa League semi-final. Such seems challenging considering their negative trend in the past three games following their defeats against Fulham and Spurs in the Premier League, apart from the loss from Forest in the reverse fixture last week.
However, nothing is impossible in football, especially since they only have a one-goal deficit. The more crucial part of this mission is their own mentality to deal with this challenge.
Throughout history, Villa has experienced the same situation before. In their European campaign, the Lions have made a comeback after their loss in the first leg five times. One of them was at the group stage, while the remaining four were in different levels of the knockout stage.
Here are the best three comebacks from Aston Villa, which made their bounce back historic as their triumph led them to advance to the next stage. Perhaps John McGinn and Co could be inspired by these distinguished victories.
The first distinguished comeback took place in the 1997/98 season. It was in the third round of the UEFA Cup, and Brian Little’s men and 1986 European Cup winner Steaua Bucharest were set to square off.
In the first leg, the Romanian giant had the first chance to play host, and they did not waste the opportunity. They managed to secure a 2-1 win in the first leg. Christian Ciociou netted a brace within two minutes only. Luckily, Dwight Yorke bagged an away goal, which was crucial in their win at the second leg.
In the reverse picture, Villa eventually cruised to the next stage after their 2-0 win at home. Savo Milosevic and Ian Taylor netted their winning goal. They faced off against Atletico Madrid in the UEFA Cup quarter-final, but Villa were unable to replicate their outstanding form in the previous stage.
The next comeback was a little dramatic as they had to go through penalties to see off their opposition. In the 1994/95 season, Ron Atkinson’s men had to face off the reigning champions, Inter Milan, in the first round.
In the first leg at Milan, Nerazzurri managed to pick up a slim 1-0 win over the Lions through a single goal from Dennis Bergkamp’s penalty, much like their current loss to Forest.
In the reverse fixture, Villa knew they would strive to simply punch their weight against the Italian giant to salvage their continental campaign. They eventually did as Ray Houghton’s goal in the 41st minute equalised their aggregate.
The match had to end on penalties, and fortune was on their side. Villa were able to net four times, and one shot from Guy Whittingham was denied by Gianluca Pagliuca. Surprisingly, Inter only scored three times with two attempts from their stars, Ruben Sosa and Davide Fontolan, missing the target.
Villa won 5-4 on aggregate by penalties and moved to the next stage. However, their campaign went anticlimactic as they were knocked out by the Turkish side Trabzonspor. It was another comeback after losing 1-0 to the host in the second round by snatching a 2-1 win at home. Unfortunately, it was not enough to keep them in the competition.
Last but not least, it was the most memorable comeback in the club’s history. It was in the UEFA Super Cup 1983 against UEFA Cup Winners’ champions, FC Barcelona.
Tony Barton’s men were not the favourite against Udo Lattek’s side at first. In the first leg, the Catalan giant already secured a 1-0 win through a single goal from Marcos Alonso Sr, the father of Marcos Alonso, the former Barcelona, Chelsea and Fiorentina wingback. The current Celta Vigo man was part of the Chelsea squad when they won the Champions League in 2021.
Yet, in the second leg at Villa Park, Peter Withe and Co. were able to turn things around. The Lions managed to cut the aggregate deficit as Gary Shaw scored in the 80th minute. The match went on to extra time.
In the 99th minute, Villa was given a penalty. Sadly, Gordon Cowans failed to capitalise as it was denied by Barcelona goalkeeper Javier Urrutti. However, the ball came back to Cowans. He did not waste an opportunity to find the back of the net.
Their third goal was scored in the 104th minute through a single goal. It ended their top campaign and delivered a soul in her; Ken McNaught extended their lead. Villa snatched an unlikely victory and lifted another continental trophy in 1933.
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