UEL: Aston Villa Beat Basel 2-1 in Europa League

Youri Tielemans scores late winner as Villa edge Basel

Aston Villa secured a 2-1 win over Basel in the Europa League, with Youri Tielemans scoring a late winner.

Basel's relentless pressure finally paid off as they leveled the scores through Flavius Daniliuc...

Aston Villa strengthened their bid to finish in the Europa League top eight with a hard-fought 2-1 win over Basel, thanks to a late winner from Youri Tielemans. This was Villa's second win in their last seven away games in the Europa League.

Basel have been inconsistent in the Europa League so far, but Aston Villa have been solid, winning their last three games. The win takes Villa closer to securing a top-eight finish in the competition.

Aston Villa's strong start to the match saw them take an early lead through Evann Guessand, who capitalized on a loose ball in the area to fire home into the bottom corner. Despite Basel's continued pressure, Villa's lead was maintained, and they had a chance to extend it before the VAR intervened to rule out Basel's would-be equalizer.

Benie Traore had squared the ball for Leo Leroy to fire home, but the goal was ruled out due to Dominik Robin Schmid's offside position in the build-up. Basel continued to push forward, but Villa's defense held firm, and they looked to capitalize on their chances to extend their lead.

Job done and another ✚3️⃣ in the #UEL 🫡 pic.twitter.com/ko1ZGso0kO

— Aston Villa (@AVFCOfficial) December 11, 2025

Basel's relentless pressure finally paid off as they leveled the scores through Flavius Daniliuc, who headed home Xherdan Shaqiri's free-kick. Unai Emery made a tactical change at half-time, bringing on Youri Tielemans for Matty Cash.

The decision proved crucial, as Tielemans scored the winning goal, firing home from the edge of the area after Emi Buendía's perfect pass. The Belgian's strike sealed a 2-1 win for Aston Villa, strengthening their position in the Europa League.

Villa made tactical changes that slowed the game's pace, despite bringing on attacking players. The substitutions didn't quite gel, and Jadon Sancho's unhappy reaction to being taken off was a notable moment, slightly tarnishing the win for Villa.

The second half was a drab affair, suiting Aston Villa's cautious approach as they looked to secure the win. They successfully strangled the life out of the game in the closing stages, with Marco Bizot's yellow card for timewasting epitomizing Villa's approach.

Despite a late Basel onslaught, Villa held firm to secure a 2-1 win, extending their winning streak to eight competitive matches.

Basel's late push for an equalizer fell short, with Albian Ajeti's header flashing wide. The Swiss side couldn't prevent a 2-1 loss, marking their first Europa League defeat at St Jakob-Park since October 2015.