Soccer Football - UEFA Europa League - Fenerbahce v Aston Villa - Sukru Saracoglu Stadium, Istanbul, Turkey - January 22, 2026 Aston Villa manager Unai Emery and Fenerbahce's Mert Muldur react REUTERS/Umit Bektas
ISTANBUL, Jan 22 (Reuters) - Aston Villa secured a spot in the Europa League last 16 on Thursday as Jadon Sancho's header earned a 1-0 win at Fenerbahce, with SC Freiburg and Olympique Lyonnais also booking their places in the knockout stage.
The deadlock in Istanbul was broken by Villa in the 25th minute as Sancho steered a precise downward header into the net after a deflected cross from Matty Cash.
The second half brought a flurry of action and Fenerbahce thought they had equalised in the 75th minute when Kerem Akturkoglu found the net, only for it to be disallowed after an offside in the build-up and Villa held on for the win.
Celtic got off to a flying start in Bologna with two first-half goals, as Reo Hatate struck early and Auston Trusty doubled the lead before the break. However, between the two goals Hatate was sent off after receiving two yellow cards.
Bologna responded through Thijs Dallinga before Jonathan Rowe brought them level with a goal in the 72nd minute as the match ended 2-2.
Lyon secured their place in the next round with a hard-fought 1-0 win over Young Boys, as Ainsley Maitland-Niles struck deep into first-half stoppage time in Bern.
A late goal from Igor Matanovic gave Freiburg a 1-0 win at home against Maccabi Tel-Aviv, ensuring the German side a place in the last 16.
In the Norwegian city of Bergen, a penalty in the tenth minute of stoppage time from Joachim Soltvedt rescued a 3-3 draw for SK Brann against Danish side Midtjylland in a highly entertaining Nordic clash.
Real Betis’ strong run in the competition took a hit as they lost 2-0 at PAOK, where a goal from Andrija Zivkovic and a penalty from Giorgos Giakoumakis secured the Greek side a win.
(Reporting by Tommy Lund in GdanskEditing by Christian Radnedge)
