Aston Villa showed grit, patience, and real quality in front of goal as they defeated Feyenoord 2–0 at De Kuip on October 2, 2025 , a result that not only keeps their Europa League momentum rolling but also caps off a perfect week for Unai Emery’s side.
It was a special return to the same ground where Villa famously lifted the European Cup back in 1982, and though the start was rocky, as predicted by Softfootball in the game’s prematch analysis, they ended the night as deserved winners thanks to second-half strikes from Emiliano Buendía and John McGinn.
Villa’s night began with a scare before kickoff as first-choice keeper Emiliano Martínez pulled out through a calf problem, giving Dutchman Marco Bizot his first European start. And he didn’t exactly ease in quietly.
Within minutes, Feyenoord were testing him, and he stood tall, first stopping Anis Hadj Moussa at his near post, then denying Ayase Ueda from point-blank range. Ueda thought he’d broken through on 35 minutes when he headed home from a corner, but the goal was chalked off for a foul on Matty Cash. Feyenoord boss Robin van Persie was livid on the touchline and honestly, he might have had a point.
Earlier in the half, Villa had their own moment of frustration when Anel Ahmedhodžić brought down Ollie Watkins clean through on goal. The referee checked the monitor but somehow decided it was only worth a yellow. It summed up Feyenoord’s night, as despite enjoying possession and firing 19 shots to Villa’s 6, Feyenoord couldn’t find a way through Bizot or Villa’s compact backline as the English side kept a second consecutive clean sheet after downing Bologna 1-nil in the first round.
After the break, the visitors looked calmer, more like Emery’s classic European side. The breakthrough came just after the hour mark: Boubacar Kamara battled hard to win a loose ball at the edge of the box and slipped it to Buendía, who bent a lovely low curler into the bottom corner. That moment changed everything. Suddenly, Villa were dictating play, moving the ball with purpose.
And when substitute Donyell Malen burst forward on the counter in the 79th minute, the writing was on the wall. His cross caused chaos, and John McGinn pounced, steering home for his third goal in as many games, a real captain’s finish.
Aston Villa posted a video on their official X account of the players savouring the moment with their fans that travelled all the way down to the Netherlands to cheer the team, and they were very vocal all through the encounter, as acknowledged by Aston Villa’s social media handler.
Watch the video below:
Bizot capped off his dream debut with a few late saves from Ueda and Cyle Larin, keeping Villa’s clean sheet intact. For Emery, it was another tactical masterclass soaking up pressure, punishing mistakes, and grinding out victory.
The result extends Villa’s unbeaten run against Dutch opposition to six games (W5 D1) and strengthens their grip in Group B after getting all three points last time out. If there was ever a sign this team can mix resilience with ruthlessness in Europe, this was it.
