Aston Villa edges Salzburg 3-2 after second-half comeback in Europa League

By Canadian Press on January 29, 2026.

Jamaldeen Jimoh-Aloba’s first-ever goal for Aston Villa was an 87th-minute winner in a 3-2 comeback victory over Salzburg to conclude the opening phase of the Europa League on Thursday.

The 19-year-old Jimoh-Aloba’s strike followed Tyrone Mings’ equalizer at Villa Park. Morgan Rogers sparked the comeback in the 64th after the visitors built a 2-0 lead an own goal from Victor Lindelof and then Moussa Yeo’s goal.

Villa wasn’t able to overtake Lyon atop the 36-team standings, however, after the French team beat 10-man PAOK 4-2 remain in front of Unai Emery’s team on goal difference. Both Lyon and Villa had already secured a spot in the round of 16 in March.

Like in the Champions League, the top eight finishers advance automatically to the last 16. The teams placed from nine to 24 enter a two-leg playoff.

The rest of the top aight are: third-place Midtjylland, Real Betis, Porto, Braga, Freiburg, and Roma.

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AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer

Karel Janicek, The Associated Press