John McGinn’s quickfire second-half double rounded off a stunning Europa League semi-comeback for Aston Villa, who won the second leg 4-0 to triumph 4-1 on aggregate.
2025/2026 UEFA Europa League
4-0
Match Report
Having lost the first leg 1-0 to a Chris Wood penalty, Villa were a different side on home soil, with Ollie Watkins and Emiliano Buendia also on target in an emphatic thumping.
Omari Hutchinson sent an early sighter wide for Forest, but it was all Villa from there, with Stefan Ortega denying Pau Torres and Buendia early on.
But Villa drew level on aggregate in the 36th minute after Forest failed to fully clear a long ball over the top. The hosts' pressure paid off, and Buendia danced away from two defenders to square in Watkins, who fired in from close range.
Ortega again denied Watkins before the break, but it was not until the 58th minute that Villa took the lead in the tie.
Following a VAR review, the referee pointed to the spot after Nikola Milenkovic was deemed to pull back Torres in the box, and Buendia converted from 12 yards.
Watkins had a second ruled out shortly after, having failed to get back onside before lifting his low shot over Ortega's outstretched leg, with the offside flag immediately raised.
Wood saw a low shot smothered by Emiliano Martinez as Forest sought an equaliser, but McGinn ended their hopes of getting back into the match with two goals in three minutes.
Watkins cushioned the ball into McGinn's path in the 77th minute, and he coolly swept into the bottom-left corner from the edge of the box. His second was similarly dispatched into the opposite corner to send Villa Park into raptures and book their place in Istanbul.
WE ARE EUROPA LEAGUE FINALISTS pic.twitter.com/x7fgl9XUDa
— Aston Villa (@AVFCOfficial) May 7, 2026
Data Debrief: Leading by example
There were just 156 seconds between McGinn's first and second goals, and the Villa captain became the first player to score a brace in a major European semi-final for the club.
McGinn was clinical, getting all three of his shots on target and getting two goals despite generating just 0.28 expected goals (xG).
But Buendia also played his part. He is the first player to both score and assist in a Europa League semi-final match for an English club since both Bruno Fernandes and Edinson Cavani for Manchester United v Roma in April 2021.
And Watkins scored his seventh goal at Villa Park in major European competition. It is the joint-most by any Villa player, levelling Peter Withe.
But it is another semi-final success for Unai Emery, who has now progressed from his last 23 two-legged ties in the Europa League, and that record means they will face Freiburg in the final
Match Events
1' Highlight from Aston Villa vs Nottingham Forest
9' Highlight from Aston Villa vs Nottingham Forest
15' Match Event for Aston Villa vs Nottingham Forest
27' Match Event for Aston Villa vs Nottingham Forest
36' GOAL! Aston Villa 1-0 Nottingham Forest (Ollie Watkins)
58' Penalty Goal! Aston Villa 2-0 Nottingham Forest (Emiliano Buendía)
61' Highlight from Aston Villa vs Nottingham Forest
78' GOAL! Aston Villa 3-0 Nottingham Forest
80' GOAL! Aston Villa 4-0 Nottingham Forest (John McGinn)
Line-ups
Aston Villa XI: E. Martinez, Lindelof, Digne, McGinn, Tielemans, Ollie Watkins, Buendia, P. Torres, Ngoyo, Matty Cash, Morgan Rogers
Subs: Marco Bizot, Mings, Abraham, Bailey, Douglas Luiz, Sancho, Elliott, Maatsen, Lamare Bogarde, James Wright, Andrés García
Nottingham Forest XI: Wood, Ortega, Elliot Anderson, Milenkovic, Dominguez, Neco Williams, Igor Jesus, Morato, McAtee, Omari Hutchinson, Jair Cunha
Subs: Sels, Sangare, Gibbs-White, Ryan Yates, Lorenzo Lucca, Dan Ndoye, Dilane Bakwa, Justin Hanks, Jimmy Sinclair, Murillo, Archie Whitehall, Keehan Willows