Aston Villa’s John McGinn celebrated a pivotal moment in their Europa League campaign with a vital goal in a comprehensive victory over Lille.
In a commanding performance, Aston Villa secured their place in the quarterfinals of the Europa League with a 2-0 triumph over Lille on Thursday night, finishing 3-0 on aggregate.
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Captain John McGinn expressed his satisfaction after finding the net, stating, “I felt most of the responsibility to get us back going again. I realize what we’ve done to make this place a fortress, trying to tackle hard and get about the pitch.”
Reflecting on his performance, McGinn noted, “In the first half I probably struggled to get up to the speed of the game; I felt a lot more comfortable on Sunday.” He was pleased to have played over 60 minutes and is hopeful to have a longer stint in the next match: “You get a second wind and thankfully I managed to play past 60 minutes, so hopefully on Sunday he keeps me on a bit longer as well.”
Having recently returned from injury, he remarked, “I’ve been fortunate in my career not to be injured a lot, but I’ve made mistakes previously with rehab, trying to cut corners and do things too quickly. I didn’t do that this time; I stuck by it and I’m feeling good now.”
