Game #4988
Aston Villa
Thursday, 2 October 2008
Drew
1st Round
Last 5: 🟩 🟩 🟥 🟩 🟨
UEFA Cup 1st Round
Attendance: 27,230
PFC Litex Lovech
Villa Park
Aston Villa
1-1
PFC Litex Lovech
Assist(s) | Ashley Young | 27' |
MATCH SUMMARY
Villa entertain Litex but can only draw for the second home European game in succession yet still qualify for the second round thanks to their aggregate victory.
KEY MAN
Marlon Harewood celebrates putting Villa ahead but Litex hit back to force a draw at Villa Park but Martin O'Neill's men win through to the UEFA Cup group stage, Thursday, 2 October 2008.
PREVIOUS MATCH
NEXT MATCH
MATCH TIMELINE
Thursday, 2 October 2008
⚽ | 27’ Goal, 1-0, Marlon Harewood, Assist by Ashley Young
🕒 | HT Aston Villa 1-0 PFC Litex Lovech
🥅 | 53’ Goal, 1-1, (PFC Litex Lovech, pen), Wilfried Nilflore
🔁 | 85’ Sub off, Ashley Young, Sub on, Isaiah Osbourne
🕒 | FT Aston Villa 1-1 PFC Litex Lovech
ON THIS DAY
Once again Martin O'Neill's cup changes see Villa struggle but their first leg result is enough to see them progress to the UEFA Cup Group Stages. Meanwhile, Wayne Routledge made his final appearance for Villa aged 23 before moving on to Queens Park Rangers for a fee of £603,000 in January 2009. Routledge had only joined Villa from Tottenham Hotspur in January 2008 for a fee of £1,530,000 making 8 appearances, 6 as substitute during his 12 months with Villa.
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
PFC Litex Lovech
Previous 5 vs. Litex: 🟩
FIXTURE DETAILS
Season | 2008-09 |
Matchday | #13 |
Manager Game | #96 |
Thursday, 2 October 2008
MATCH SUMMARY
Manager: Martin O’Neill | 🇬🇧 | County Londonderry, 2006-2010
Referee: Tony Chapron | 🇫🇷 | Normandy, 2007-2017
Kick off: 8.00pm
HT Score: 🟩 1-0
FT Score: 🟨 1-1
FT Result: 🟨 Drew
Aggregate Result: 🟩 Won
Aggregate Score: 🟩 4-2
Last 5: 🟩 🟩 🟥 🟩 🟨
MANAGERIAL RECORD
Martin O'Neill | 🇬🇧 |
GAMES | WINS | DRAWS | LOSSES | POINTS PER GAME
🕒 96 | 🟩 | 37 🟨 | 33 🟥 26 | 1.50
Villa Career Form:
Top 8
Martin O'Neill | 🇬🇧 |
MATCH OFFICIALS
Referee: Tony Chapron | 🇫🇷 | Normandy, 2007-2017
Previous 5: None
Last Match: None
Cards: 🟨 🟨
Assistants: Emmanuel Boisdenghien, Laurent Ugo
Tony Chapron
CARDS
Villa
None
PFC Litex Lovech
🟨 🟨
TEAM NEWS
Martin O'Neill once again makes a raft of changes for a Cup game with Zat Knight, Wayne Routledge (first start in 7), Marlon Harewood, Moustapha Salifou (first start in 7), James Milner and Carlos Cuéllar replacing Curtis Davies, Gareth Barry, John Carew, Gabriel Agbonlahor, Nigel Reo-Coker and Martin Laursen.
TEAM STATS
Starting XI Average Age
| 27.58 |
Oldest Player |
GK Brad Friedel | 🇺🇸 | 37.40 |
Youngest Player |
W James Milner | 🏴 | 22.76 |
MANAGER
Martin O'Neill | 🇬🇧 |
Aston Villa
GK Brad Friedel | 🇺🇸 |
LB Nicky Shorey | 🏴 |
CB Zat Knight | 🏴 |
CB Carlos Cuéllar | 🇪🇸 |
RB Luke Young | 🏴 |
M Stiliyan Petrov | 🇧🇬 |
W Ashley Young | 🏴 | 🔥 | 🔁 |
M Moustapha Salifou | 🇹🇬 |
W Wayne Routledge | 🏴 |
W James Milner | 🏴 |
CF Marlon Harewood | 🏴 | ⚽ |
MANAGER
Stanimir Stoilov | 🇧🇬 |
PFC Litex Lovech
GK Todor Todorov | 🇧🇬 |
LB Dudú Paraíba | 🇧🇷 | 🔁 |
CB Alexandre Barthe | 🇫🇷 |
CB Plamen Nikolov | 🇧🇬 |
CB Petere Zanev | 🇧🇬 | 🟨 |
RB Stanislav Manolev | 🇧🇬 |
M Dzemal Berberović | 🇧🇦 |
M Tom | 🇧🇷 | 🔁 |
M Sandrinho | 🇧🇷 |
M Ivelin Popov | 🇧🇬 | 🟨 | 🔁 |
CF Wilfried Nilflore | 🇫🇷 | ⚽ |
SUBSTITUTES
🔁 M Isaiah Osbourne | 🏴 | for W Ashley Young | 🏴 | 85’ |
SUBSTITUTES
🔁 | LB Dudú Paraíba | 🇧🇷 | (M Aleksandar Tsvetanov | 🇧🇬 |)
🔁 | M Tom | 🇧🇷 | (CF Emil Angelov | 🇧🇬 |)
🔁 | M Ivelin Popov | 🇧🇬 | (CF Du Bala | 🇧🇷 |)
UNUSED SUBSTITUTES
GK Brad Guzan | 🇺🇸 |
CB Martin Laursen | 🇩🇰 |
M Craig Gardner | 🏴 |
M Nigel Reo-Coker | 🏴 |
F Gabriel Agbonlahor | 🏴 |
F Nathan Delfouneso | 🏴 |
UNUSED SUBSTITUTES
GK Pavel Golubovich | 🇧🇾 |
M Jeremy Acedo | 🇳🇱 |
M Aleksandar Tsvetkov | 🇧🇬 |
CF Kroum Bibishkov | 🇧🇬 |
SQUAD STATS
1st XI:
Home Nation 🏴 🏴 🏴 🇬🇧 : 7/11
Homegrown: 0/11
Squad:
Home Nation 🏴 🏴 🏴 🇬🇧 : 12/18
Homegrown: 4/18
MATCHDAY SQUAD
SQUAD STATS
Home Nation 🇧🇬 : 7/14
MATCHDAY SQUAD
UNAVAILABLE
Not recorded
UNAVAILABLE
Not Recorded
Player Positions:
GK : Goalkeeper
CB, D, B : Centre Back, Defender, Back
FB, LB, RB, WH : Full Back, Left Back, Right Back, Wing Back, Wing Half
M, CH, LH, RH : Midfielder, Centre Half, Left Half, Right Half
W, OL, OR : Winger, Outside Left, Outside Right
F, IF, IL, IR : Forward, Inside Forward, Inside Left, Inside Right, Second Striker, False 9
CF : Centre Forward
Match Symbols:
⚽ | Goal
🔥 | Assist
🔁 | Substitution
🟨 | Booking
🟥 | Sending off
🆘 | Poor refereeing performance
🟢 : Debut 🔴 : Final Game
DEBUT APPEARANCES
FINAL APPEARANCES
MATCH STATS
Not recorded
LEAGUE TABLE
MATCHDAY PROGRAMME
MATCHDAY QUOTES
“I couldn’t be more delighted, especially for the supporters, who can look forward to European evenings at Villa Park.
“All the work we have put in since July has paid dividends. Playing European football has an edge, it’s a great thing for the young players.”
“Everybody seems to be OK (ahead of the Premier League game against Chelsea on Sunday), there are a couple of knocks and bruises but no-one is complaining.”
Martin O'Neill.
*BBC Sport*
Thursday, 2 October 2008
*Aston Villa booked their place in the Uefa Cup group stages after a draw against Litex Lovech.*
Marlon Harewood put the home side ahead on 27 minutes with a smart finish from 12 yards after a powerful run.
But Wilfried Niflore brought Lovech level when he converted a penalty on 52 minutes after Carlos Cuellar had been penalised for a foul on Wellington.
The equaliser had little effect as the Bulgarian visitors failed to trouble Villa’s obdurate defence.
With the cushion of a 3-1 advantage from the first leg, manager Martin O’Neill opted to rest six of his starting XI from the 2-1 win over Sunderland, with one eye on the Premier League match against leaders Chelsea at Stamford Bridge on Sunday.
Gabriel Agbonlahor, Gareth Barry, Nigel Reo-Coker, Martin Laursen, John Carew and Curtis Davies were all rested, with record signing James Milner, Harewood, Zat Knight, Carlos Cuellar, Moustapha Salifou and Wayne Routledge earning starting places.
And it was the much-maligned Harewood who put Villa 1-0 up with a quality finish.
The striker received the ball 30 yards out from Ashley Young and took on the Bulgarian defenders before unleashing a powerful 12-yard strike past goalkeeper Todor Todorov.
Despite their three-goal aggregate deficit, Lovech continued to play neat, attractive football - but failed to create any significant goal-scoring chances.
Villa’s Bulgaria international Stiliyan Petrov - handed the captain’s armband in Laursen’s absence - headed just over the bar from 12 yards with the last chance of the first half.
But the visitors regained parity after referee Tony Chapron pointed to the penalty spot when Carlos Cuellar was adjudged to have brought down Wellington da Silva inside the box.
Frenchman Niflore stepped up and slotted the ball past Brad Friedel to give the visitors a glimmer of hope.
But despite their early second-half fillip, Lovech failed to conjure any further goal-scoring opportunities as Villa took control of the final half hour.
And Young, so impressive for Villa this season, had the final opportunity to give Villa victory, but the striker sent his 20-yard free-kick over the bar on 81 minutes.
*Aston Villa manager Martin O’Neill:*
“I couldn’t be more delighted, especially for the supporters, who can look forward to European evenings at Villa Park.
“All the work we have put in since July has paid dividends. Playing European football has an edge, it’s a great thing for the young players.”
“Everybody seems to be OK (ahead of the Premier League game against Chelsea on Sunday), there are a couple of knocks and bruises but no-one is complaining.”
Image © THE BRITISH LIBRARY BOARD. With thanks to Trinity Mirror. Digitised by Findmypast Newspaper Archive Limited. All rights reserved. Source: British Newspaper Archive (www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk)