It was a night of stunning upsets and shattered expectations in the Europa League, as Dutch underdogs Go Ahead Eagles pulled off a sensational 2–1 victory over English giants Aston Villa, while Rangers suffered a crushing 3–0 defeat to Norway’s Brann in Bergen.
Aston Villa, widely tipped as one of the tournament favourites, had enjoyed a flawless start after back-to-back wins over Bologna and Feyenoord. But Unai Emery’s men came undone in Deventer despite taking an early lead.
Villa boss Emery rotated his squad with seven changes, and the gamble seemed to pay off when Evann Guessand netted his first goal for the club to open the scoring.
However, under swirling winds and torrential rain, the hosts refused to fold. Mathis Suray equalised with a deflected strike before halftime, setting the stage for a fairytale finish.
In the second half, Mats Deijl completed the comeback with a brilliant chip over goalkeeper Emiliano Martínez, sealing Go Ahead Eagles’ first-ever group-stage European victory — one that will live long in the club’s history books.
Villa had a chance to rescue a point late on when substitute Emi Buendía, last weekend’s hero against Tottenham, stepped up for a penalty — but the Argentine blasted wide, turning from match-winner to culprit in a dramatic twist.
In Norway, Rangers’ European nightmare deepened under new manager Danny Rohl, who endured a nightmare debut as his side slumped to a 3–0 defeat to Brann.
The Scottish giants, now rooted to the bottom of their group with three straight losses, were undone by poor defending and a lack of cohesion.
Emil Kornvig struck just before halftime, Jacob Sorensen doubled the lead with a powerful header from a set-piece, and Noah Holm added a late third to cap a miserable night for the visitors.
Elsewhere, Nottingham Forest are preparing for their first European game under Sean Dyche, who takes charge against Porto later tonight, hoping to revive a campaign that began poorly under the recently sacked Ange Postecoglou.
Meanwhile, Celtic host Sturm Graz, looking to turn around what has been a disappointing start to their season.
Across the continent, Lyon maintained their perfect record with a 2–0 win over Basel, courtesy of Corentin Tolisso and Afonso Moreira, while Braga also made it three wins from three after dispatching Red Star Belgrade 2–0.
Elsewhere, Bologna edged Steaua Bucharest 2–1, Fenerbahce beat Stuttgart 1–0, and Real Betis were held to a goalless draw away to Genk.
It was a night that proved once again — in European football, nothing can be taken for granted.
