The Premier League giants defeated Lille at Villa Park to progress to the quarter final stage of the competition.
Hibs icon John McGinn has equalled Aston Villa’s all-time European goalscoring charts with his left-footed finish against Lille.
It was the Scotland International’s ninth goal for The Villans in European competitions, equalling the record of 1982 European Cup winning-hero Peter Withe. Unai Emery’s side defeated Lille by two goals to nil on the night to go through comfortable 3-0 victors on aggregate. Leon Bailey also got on the scoresheet at Villa Park to secure their place in the Quarter Finals.
McGinn will be up against his Scotland teammate Lewis Ferguson in the next round, as he captained his Bologna side to glory in a seven goal thriller against Roma. After drawing 1-1 in the opening leg at home, Bologna were up against it from the start at the Stadio Olimpico but emerged 4-3 victors thanks to Nicolo Cambiaghi’s extra time winner.
McGinn equals European record
The 31-year old is idolised in Birmingham the same way he was at Easter Road during his three year Hibs spell. After being sidelined with a knee injury since January, Thursday night was his first start in front of the Villa faithful since his his return. As his minutes continue to be managed, Emery brought McGinn off in the 74th minute to a standing ovation from the home support.
The goal itself was a well-worked counter-attack that stemmed from goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez’ quick-thinking after a Lille corner. The Argentinian pinged the ball up to winger Jadon Sancho who hardly needed to break stride. His low cross found McGinn, who passed the ball into the right hand corner.
It was a much-needed win on the European stage for McGinn and co after they were torn apart by Manchester United in last weekend’s top four Premier League battle. They currently sit in the last remaining English Champions League position, but have Liverpool and Chelsea hot on their tail.
McGinn thanks World Cup winner for milestone goal
After the match, McGinn thanked his goalkeeper for his quick-thinking for the well-worked goal. He told TNT Sports: "It was brilliant from Emi - what a pass. But I think it highlights Jadon's best performance in a Villa shirt. He was man of the match by a mile tonight. The manager was giving me grief before the game, telling me to get in the box. Great ball from Emi, great goal, and it let us relax after that."
Meanwhile, provider Jadon Sancho is happy to have his captain back and firing on all cylinders. He added: "We’ve missed him [McGinn] a lot. He’s a great guy to be around. He brings a lot of energy into the changing room. We're so happy to have him back and happy to assist him today."
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