Aston Villa vs Olympiacos LIVE: Europa Conference League result and reaction after El Kaabi hat-trick in semi-final first leg
A first European semi-final since 1982 for the Villa Park club under Unai Emery
Aston Villa mounted a comeback either side of half-time but ultimately were far too open defensively and suffered a 4-2 defeat in the Europa Conference League semi-final first leg against Olympiacos.
Ollie Watkins and Moussa Diaby netted either side of the interval, during which there was a medical emergency involving a fan, after Ayoub El Kaabi had scored twice for the Greek outfit. However, the visiting forward then immediately netted a penalty for his hat-trick and Ezri Konsa deflected in another goal for Olympiacos’ fourth, before Douglas Luiz missed a late penalty to leave Villa a mountain to climb in the second leg.
Olympiacos remain chasing a double, fighting for the title in the Greek top flight, fourth place but only one point off second - and now they have one foot in the final in Europe, too. Follow the action from the first leg below and see the Aston Villa vs Olympiacos predictions and latest odds here.
HT - Villa 1-2 Olympiacos
One final chance before the break for Villa as Diaby is played in on the right side of the box, but he is blocked off and the whistle goes.
Good time to get back in the match with that Watkins goal but still work to do. A right royal celebration!
GOAL! 45’ - Aston Villa 1-2 Olympiacos
Brilliant move, excellent finish!
Watkins has been anonymous for so much of this first half but Cash and Diaby combine, Watkins makes the diagonal run and his first-time finish is absolutely inch-perfect, past the keeper and right into the far corner!
Back in the game and the tie - they still trail 2-1 but Villa have the goal before half-time they wanted.
44’ - Aston Villa 0-2 Olympiacos
Bailey bursts into the box, tricks his man, sprints past him and goes to ground under a challenge - referee immediately waves it away as the fans scream for a penalty!
Tell you what on the replay it looks a lot like Ortega has tripped him on the way past, one leg through Bailey’s, but play on is the word and nothing from the VAR for the ref to look again.
Fortunate, the defender. Into stoppage time we go and there will be three minutes.
42’ - Aston Villa 0-2 Olympiacos
Cash is spoken to by the ref for jumping straight through Podence to win a header. Villa losing all focus here at the moment and the fans fuming too at every decision going against them. Nothing that the ref has done wrong though - Olympiacos are simply gaming matters better than Villa are.
Bailey exemplifies that by trying to whack the ball against Podence and only managing to give away a corner.
38’ - Aston Villa 0-2 Olympiacos
Bit scruffy but McGinn works an angle from the free-kick and gets in a shot, which is blocked and deflected behind. The Scot then takes the corner but it’s poor and cleared by the first man.
Villa need him and a few others to step up here to get themselves back into the tie.
Luiz starts dropping deeper looking to do just that, getting himself on the ball and trying to start moves with a bit more pace and penetration. The fans respond and urge the team on with renewed vigour.
36’ - Aston Villa 0-2 Olympiacos
The home fans getting a little irate at visiting players going to ground and the stoppages in the game. Get used to it, is all we can really say - sides in Europe at this stage are going to do exactly that.
Watkins is fouled outside the box and it’s a great chance to deliver a dangerous ball into the box from the right flank.
Andrea Belotti has scored another for Fiorentina - they now lead 2-1.
32’ - Aston Villa 0-2 Olympiacos
Bailey beats his man and fires into the side-netting via a deflection. Cash went down in the box just beforehand but the ref signalled no foul and played on for the shot.
Unai Emery has just spent about three minutes ranting at Olsen and Douglas Luiz during an injury break in play.
GOAL! 28’ - Aston Villa 0-2 Olympiacos - LIVE
Another goal! What a brilliant move and a great finish. Podence lofts a fantastic pass over the defence, El Kaabi runs through past the static centre-backs, nods it past Olsen and tucks his first-time finish home under the ‘keeper’s dive and into the near post.
2-0 to Olympiacos and Emery and his team have a huge job on their hands now.
24’ - Aston Villa 0-1 Olympiacos - LIVE
Villa’s first game against Greek opponents tonight. So far, not so good - officiating decisions for two goalscoring chances have not fallen in their favour.
Olympiacos are far more aggressive in midfield so far in this half and that’s stopping Villa getting into the final third - and starting their own counter-attacks very quickly.
20’ - Aston Villa 0-1 Olympiacos - LIVE
Villa need a bit of a response here, they’ve struggled to get too many passes strung together and those early spaces the wide men were fashioning have definitely dried up. Unai Emery prowls the touchline looking a bit concerned.
Equaliser in the other semi-final - Fiorentina 1-1 Club Brugge now.
In the Europa League semis it’s Roma 0-0 Leverkusen and Marseille 1-1 Atalanta.
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