Captain John McGinn's early goal was enough to give Aston Villa its first win of the season as the English side beat Bologna 1-0 in the Europa League on Thursday.

McGinn beat Bologna goalkeeper Łukasz Skorupski with a low left-foot shot from outside the area 13 minutes into the match at Villa Park.

Substitute Ollie Watkins earned a penalty in the second half but then failed to stretch the lead with a poorly executed spot kick that was saved by Skorupski.

Villa has endured a frustrating start domestically, with three draws and two losses in the Premier League. But it has a coach who knows how to succeed in Europe: Unai Emery is the most successful manager in the second-tier Europa League with four titles, three with Sevilla and one with Villarreal.

Emery led Villa to placings of fourth

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