Aston Villa 2-0 Maccabi Tel Aviv: Ian Maatsen and Donyell Malen goals in Europa League win at Villa Park
Stuttering Aston Villa edged past Maccabi Tel Aviv on a challenging evening on and off the pitch to strengthen their position in the Europa League.
Ian Maatsen’s opener and Donyell Malen’s penalty gave Unai Emery’s side victory in a game that followed pre-match protests at Villa Park, with no fans of the visiting Israeli team allowed inside the ground.
Maccabi manager Zarko Lazetic explained afterwards that his squad had arrived five hours before kick-off on police advice.
Villa are sixth in the league phase table after four games, having secured the positive result that head coach Emery wanted following last month’s defeat at Go Ahead Eagles.
Yet the hosts struggled at times in a largely tepid display as Maccabi did more than just frustrate. Osher Davida’s effort deflected inches wide while Dor Peretz shot straight at Emi Martinez from a golden chance.
Villa, who lost at Liverpool on Saturday, flattered to deceive even after Maatsen squeezed in the opening goal from a tight angle in first-half stoppage time.
Martinez needed to save from Peretz again after the break. Malen then sealed victory from the spot after Villa were awarded a penalty, despite Ezri Konsa falling over his own feet.
This game was played in circumstances that were far different to the normal routine of a European game.
Six weeks ago, there was even a chance the fixture might not go ahead, with calls for Israeli teams to be removed from international competitions because of the Israel-Gaza war.
Villa announced last month that no Maccabi fans would be welcome, a decision made by Birmingham’s Safety Advisory Group following intelligence from West Midlands Police.
It was anticipated that several groups would stage protests over the match, including pro-Palestinian and pro-Israeli campaigners, and those demonstrations occurred outside the stadium.
Six arrests were made, it was announced, with more than 700 police officers having been deployed.
When the game got under way, Lazetic’s side were not helped by the penalty award, and the Maccabi boss said of that incident: “It’s not my job but it looked like nothing.
“There was a small margin and it went on their side. We showed who we are.”
Villa boss Emery said he was “not happy completely” with how the evening went for his team.
“How the opponent competes in Europe has to be something we respect,” Emery said. “It’s how we learn from our experience in Europe. I’m very happy – not very happy with our performance and how we played, but I understand.
“The most important thing was how we achieved the three points – not playing brilliant but playing seriously and passionately. We conceded more chances than we planned and we made some mistakes, but overall we dominated.”
