Aston Villa’s perfect Europa League start came to a shocking end on Thursday after Dutch debutants Go Ahead Eagles claimed a famous 2-1 victory in Deventer.
Gatekeepers News reports that Unai Emery’s men, who had beaten Bologna and Feyenoord in their opening two group games, looked set for another routine win when Evann Guessand fired home his first goal for the club.
However, in blustery and wet conditions, the hosts — playing their first-ever European group-stage match — fought back through Mathis Suray’s deflected strike before Mats Deijl coolly lifted the ball over Emiliano Martinez to seal the upset.
Villa had the chance to rescue a point late on, but Emi Buendia, Sunday’s hero against Tottenham, saw his penalty saved to complete a frustrating night for the visitors.
Meanwhile, new Rangers manager Danny Röhl endured a nightmare start as his side were beaten 3-0 by Norwegian champions Brann.
Goals from Emil Kornvig, Jacob Sørensen, and Noah Holm condemned the Scottish side to their third straight group-stage defeat, leaving them bottom of the 36-team table and all but out of contention.
Elsewhere, Lyon maintained their perfect record with a 2-0 victory over Basel, thanks to goals from Corentin Tolisso and Afonso Moreira, while Braga also made it three wins from three after beating Red Star Belgrade 2-0.
Bologna earned their first group win with a 2-1 success at Steaua Bucharest. Fenerbahçe edged Stuttgart 1-0, and Real Betis were held to a goalless draw away at Genk.
Nottingham Forest, under new manager Sean Dyche, were set to host Porto later on Thursday, seeking their first European win in 30 years, while Celtic looked to revive their season at home to Sturm Graz.
