Europa League: Roma End Midtjylland's Perfect Record, Donyell Malen Villa Hero
Source: Antaranews via uefa.com
AS Roma and Aston Villa both secured crucial victories on matchday five of the 2025/2026 Europa League group stage. These two ambitious teams defeated tough opponents while improving their positions in the standings.
Roma halted Midtjylland's perfect run, while Villa once again demonstrated their attacking efficiency under Unai Emery.
Roma Break Midtjylland's Record at the Olimpico
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AS Roma ended Midtjylland's winning streak with a 2-1 victory at Stadio Olimpico early Friday morning WIB. As reported by UEFA's official website, this marked Roma's third group stage win this season. Roma's victory ended their opponent's four-match winning run.
The Giallorossi started aggressively. Just seven minutes into the match, Neil El Aynaoui opened the scoring from Zeki Celik's precise cross, making it 1-0 and boosting Roma's confidence.
Midtjylland attempted to rally, especially in the second half. Their best chance came in the 68th minute when Junior Brumado's effort struck Roma's crossbar.
Roma doubled their lead in the 83rd minute. Stephan El Shaarawy converted Leon Bailey's pass to make it 2-0.
Despite trailing by two goals, Midtjylland refused to surrender and pulled one back through Paulinho in the 86th minute.
Roma nearly scored a third in the 91st minute, but El Shaarawy's shot hit the crossbar. The match ended 2-1.
With three points, Roma climbed to 14th in the temporary standings, accumulating nine points from five matches.
Meanwhile, Midtjylland remain leaders with 12 points, though their perfect record was finally broken by Daniele De Rossi's squad.
Aston Villa Consolidate Top Spot Thanks to Donyell Malen's Brace
Aston Villa reaffirmed their status as one of the Europa League's most consistent teams. Playing at Villa Park, they defeated Young Boys 2-1 courtesy of Donyell Malen's double.
As reported by UEFA, Malen scored in the 27th and 42nd minutes, while Young Boys reduced the deficit through Joel Monteiro in the 90th minute.
Villa took the lead when Malen headed home Youri Tielemans' cross. In the 42nd minute, Malen scored again by finishing Morgan Rogers' through ball.
Young Boys thought they'd pulled one back through Chris Bedia in the 71st minute, but VAR disallowed the goal. Monteiro finally scored a legitimate goal from Gregory Wuthrich's assist in the 90th minute.
Despite late pressure, Young Boys couldn't find an equalizer.
This victory places Aston Villa second in the temporary standings with 12 points from five matches, while Young Boys drop to 26th position with six points.
