Europa League, Conference League Quarter-finals First-leg Results In Full

The Europa League and Conference League quarter-final first legs delivered drama across Europe on Thursday night, April 9.

Braga and Real Betis had already played out a 1-1 draw on Wednesday before Thursday’s action completed the first-leg Europa League fixtures.

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Aston Villa produced the headline result with a 3-1 win away to Bologna to seize control of their Europa League tie. Nottingham Forest claimed a hard-fought draw in Porto, while Crystal Palace demonstrated their European ambitions with a convincing win over Fiorentina.

Villa’s night in Italy began under heavy pressure. Bologna, unbeaten in 20 European home matches and playing in their first continental quarter-final, started brightly and thought they had scored early on before VAR ruled out the effort for a tight offside. The hosts then rattled the woodwork as the visitors struggled to find their footing.

Against the run of play, Villa struck first. Goalkeeper Federico Ravaglia misjudged a corner and Ezri Konsa headed into an empty net to give the Premier League side the lead.

The visitors doubled their advantage shortly after the break. A loose pass at the back was seized upon by Emiliano Buendia, allowing Ollie Watkins to finish calmly for his third goal in five matches.

Bologna kept pushing and finally pulled one back late on through Jonathan Rowe, setting up a tense last minute of the encounter. Villa, however, had the final say as Watkins bundled home a last-minute corner to restore a two-goal cushion.

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