UEFA Europa Conference League Quarter-Final First Legs: Aston Villa, Club Brugge, and Olympiacos Secure Narrow Victories

Aston Villa, Olympiacos, and Club Brugge came out on top in closely contested first-leg matches of the UEFA Europa Conference League quarter-finals, while Fiorentina faced strong defensive resistance from Plzeň.

At Villa Park, Aston Villa secured a slim advantage over LOSC Lille with a 2-1 victory. John McGinn played a crucial role, contributing a goal and an assist, while Ollie Watkins opened the scoring for Villa early on. However, Lille managed to pull one back late in the game through Bafodé Diakité, setting the stage for an exciting second leg.

Olympiacos edged out Fenerbahçe in a thrilling encounter at Stadio Georgios Karaiskakis, with a 3-2 scoreline. Kostas Fortounis, Stevan Jovetić, and Chiquinho got on the scoresheet for Olympiacos, while Fenerbahçe mounted a comeback with goals from Dušan Tadić and İrfan Can Kahveci.

In a tightly contested match, Viktoria Plzeň managed to hold Fiorentina to a goalless draw. Plzeň continued their impressive defensive record in the Europa Conference League by denying Fiorentina any scoring opportunities throughout the game.

Club Brugge secured a narrow 1-0 victory over PAOK, thanks to a clinical finish from Hugo Vetlesen early in the match. Despite dominating possession, Club Brugge had to settle for a single goal, as PAOK’s goalkeeper, Dominik Kotarski, denied them from doubling their lead.

The second legs of these quarter-final ties promise to be highly competitive as all four matchups remain finely poised. The road to the Europa Conference League final in Athens is heating up.