Game #4984
Thursday, 18 September 2008
Attendance: 7,000
Won
UEFA Cup 1st Round
1st Round
PFC Litex Lovech
Last 5: 🟥 🟨 🟨 🟩 🟩
Gradski, Lovech
Villa travel to Bulgaria for the UEFA Cup first round and open up a commanding lead as Reo-Coker scores for the second game in succession.
PFC Litex Lovech
1-3
Aston Villa
Assist(s) | None
KEY MAN
Nigel Reo-Coker makes it two in two as Villa come from behind to win in Bulgaria, Thursday, 18 September 2008.
RELATED MATCHES
MATCH TIMELINE
🟢 | 1’ Debut, Carlos Cuéllar
🥅 | 10’ Goal, 0-1, (PFC Litex Lovech), Ivelin Popov
⚽ | 45’ Goal, 1-1, Nigel Reo-Coker
🕒 | HT PFC Litex Lovech 1-1 Aston Villa
🟥 | 60’ Sending off, (PFC Litex Lovech), Cédric Cambon
🔁 | 68’ Sub off, Craig Gardner, Sub on, Marlon Harewood
🟥 | 71’ Sending off, (PFC Litex Lovech), Mihail Venkov
⚽ | 72’ Goal, 2-1, Gareth Barry (pen)
🔁 | 74’ Sub off, Nigel Reo-Coker, Sub on, Wayne Routledge
🔁 | 78’ Sub off, Gareth Barry, Sub on, Moustapha Salifou
🟨 | 80’ Booking, Stiliyan Petrov
⚽ | 90’ Goal, 3-1, Stiliyan Petrov
🕒 | FT PFC Litex Lovech 1-3 Aston Villa
ON THIS DAY
Martin O'Neill changes policy and names a broadly representative side for the UEFA Cup. Gareth Barry makes his 400th appearance for Villa as they beat nine men opponents to take three away goals into the second leg. Meanwhile, centre back Carlos Cuéllar made his Villa debut aged 27 after joining from Glasgow Rangers for a fee of £9,000,000 in August 2008.
Aston Villa
European Cup / Champions League: 🏆
League Champions: 🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆
FA Cup Winners: 🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆
League Cup Winners: 🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆
Last Trophy: 1995-96
PFC Litex Lovech
European Cup / Champions League: ❌
Bulgarian Champions: 🏆🏆
Bulgarian Cup Winners: 🏆🏆🏆
Last Trophy: 2007-08
FIXTURE HISTORY
Previous 5 vs. Litex: None
FIXTURE DETAILS
Season | 2008-09 |
Matchday | #9 |
Manager Game | #92 |
Thursday, 18 September 2008
MATCH SUMMARY
Manager: Martin O’Neill | 🇬🇧 | County Londonderry, 2006-2010
Referee: Christoforos Zografos | 🇬🇷 | Athens, 2004-2008
Kick off: 3.20pm
HT Score: 🟨 1-1
FT Score: 🟩 3-1
FT Result: 🟩 Won
Last 5: 🟥 🟨 🟨 🟩 🟩
MATCH OFFICIALS
Referee: Christoforos Zografos | 🇬🇷 | Athens, 2004-2008
Previous 5: None
Last Match: None
Cards: 🟥 🟥 🟨 🟨
Assistants: Grigorios Panou, Afthanassios Nikolakopoulos
CARDS
TEAM NEWS
Craig Gardner, James Milner (first start) and Carlos Cuéllar replace Curtis Davies, John Carew and Ashley Young.
TEAM STATS
Starting XI Average Age
| 27.32 |
Oldest Player |
GK Brad Friedel | 🇺🇸 | 37.36 |
Youngest Player |
M Craig Gardner | 🏴 | 21.83 |
MANAGER
MANAGER
Martin O'Neill | 🇬🇧 |
Stanimir Stoilov | 🇧🇬 |
Aston Villa
GK Brad Friedel | 🇺🇸 |
LB Nicky Shorey | 🏴 |
CB Martin Laursen | 🇩🇰 |
CB Carlos Cuéllar | 🇪🇸 | 🟢 |
RB Luke Young | 🏴 |
M Gareth Barry | 🏴 | ⚽ | 🔁 |
M Nigel Reo-Coker | 🏴 | ⚽ | 🔁 |
M Stiliyan Petrov | 🇧🇬 | 🟨 | ⚽ |
M Craig Gardner | 🏴 | 🔁 |
W James Milner | 🏴 |
F Gabriel Agbonlahor | 🏴 |
PFC Litex Lovech
GK Uros Golubović | 🇷🇸 |
LB Dudú Paraíba | 🇧🇷 | 🔁 |
LB Mihail Venkov | 🇧🇬 | 🟥 |
CB Cédric Cambon | 🇫🇷 | 🟨 | 🟥 |
CB Plamen Nikolov | 🇧🇬 |
RB Stanislav Manolev | 🇧🇬 |
M Dzemal Berberović | 🇧🇦 |
M Tom | 🇧🇷 | 🔁 |
M Sandrinho | 🇧🇷 |
M Ivelin Popov | 🇧🇬 | ⚽ |
CF Wilfried Nilflore | 🇫🇷 | 🔁 |
SUBSTITUTES
🔁 CF Marlon Harewood | 🏴 | for M Craig Gardner | 🏴 | 68’ |
🔁 W Wayne Routledge | 🏴 | for M Nigel Reo-Coker | 🏴 | 74’ |
🔁 M Moustapha Salifou | 🇹🇬 | for M Gareth Barry | 🏴 | 78’ |
SUBSTITUTES
🔁 | LB Dudú Paraíba | 🇧🇷 | (CB Alexandre Barthe | 🇫🇷 |)
🔁 | M Tom | 🇧🇷 | (CF Emil Angelov | 🇧🇬 |)
🔁 | CF Wilfried Nilflore | 🇫🇷 | (M Jérémy Acédo | 🇫🇷 |)
UNUSED SUBSTITUTES
GK Brad Guzan | 🇺🇸 |
CB Zat Knight | 🏴 |
M Isaiah Osbourne | 🏴 |
F Nathan Delfouneso | 🏴 |
UNUSED SUBSTITUTES
GK Todor Todorov | 🇧🇬 |
M Momchil Tzvetanov | 🇧🇬 |
CF Kroum Bibishkov | 🇧🇬 |
CF Roberto Eduardo | 🇧🇷 |
SQUAD STATS
1st XI:
Home Nation 🏴 🏴 🏴 🇬🇧 : 7/11
Homegrown: 3/11
Squad:
Home Nation 🏴 🏴 🏴 🇬🇧 : 12/18
Homegrown: 5/18
MATCHDAY SQUAD
SQUAD STATS
Home Nation 🇧🇬 : 5/14
MATCHDAY SQUAD
UNAVAILABLE
Not recorded
UNAVAILABLE
Not Recorded
Player Abbreviations:
GK : Goalkeeper
LB, RB, FB : Left Back, Right Back, Full Back
CB, D : Centre Back, Defender
M, W : Midfielder. Winger
F, CF : Forward, Centre Forward
🟢 : Debut 🔴 : Final Game
Symbols:
⚽ | Goal
🔥 | Assist
🔁 | Substitution
🟨 | Booking
🟥 | Sending off
🆘 | Poor refereeing performance
DEBUT APPEARANCES
FINAL APPEARANCES
MATCH STATS
Not recorded
TABLE
PROGRAMME



MATCHDAY QUOTES
“It was a very sluggish start. We did the one thing we didn’t want to and gave away an early goal.
“It took a long time for us to get into our stride.
“But the equalising goal gave us such an advantage. That basically changed the whole impetus of the game.”
Martin O'Neill.
*BBC Sport*
Thursday, 18 September 2008
*Aston Villa came from behind to beat nine-man Litex Lovech in the Uefa Cup.*
Litex shocked the visitors when Ivelin Popov curled in a free-kick but keeper Uros Golubovic gifted Villa a leveller.
Golubovic missed an attempted clearance and Nigel Reo-Coker slotted in before Cedric Cambon was sent-off for the home side for two bookable offences.
Mihail Venkov was then red-carded for handball and Gareth Barry, on his 400th Villa outing, scored from the spot before Stiliyan Petrov’s late goal.
The win flattered a Villa side who found the going tough in Bulgaria.
They had made a lethargic start that gave their hosts extra encouragement and Litex took advantage by going ahead after 10 minutes.
Reo-Coker conceded a dubious free-kick just outside the Villa area and Popov curled a shot past Friedel, who appeared to have been put off by Stanislav Manolev jumping to head the ball.
The goal gave Litex even more belief and, unlike their opponents, they displayed purpose and energy going forward.
The visitors opted for a five-man midfield with winger Ashley Young and towering forward John Carew out injured, but lone striker Gabriel Agbonlahor was an isolated presence up front.
Barry did head in a James Milner cross for the visitors only for his effort to be ruled out for offside before Villa survived a massive scare.
Wilfried Niflore was put through on goal and he rounded Friedel but - with the angle against him - he shot into the side-netting.
It proved a vital miss as Litex keeper Golubovic immediately gifted Villa a leveller by kicking thin air rather than the ball on the edge of his area and leaving Reo-Coker to slot in.
The equaliser was more than Villa deserved and Litex did not help their cause in the second half when Cambon hauled down Agbonlahor for a second yellow card.
Venkov soon followed as he blatantly swatted the ball off the line after unconvincing keeper Golubovic failed to punch away a cross.
Barry confidently slotted in the resultant penalty and Villa then had little trouble to secure the win.
Petrov gave the scoreline a more emphatic look when he scored at the second attempt after his initial shot had been saved.
*Aston Villa boss Martin O’Neill:*
“It was a very sluggish start. We did the one thing we didn’t want to and gave away an early goal.
“It took a long time for us to get into our stride.
“But the equalising goal gave us such an advantage. That basically changed the whole impetus of the game.”