Europa League: the semi-final fixtures

The Europa League semi-finals are now known. Following Thursday’s quarter-final second legs, four clubs have booked their places in the semi-finals: Aston Villa, Braga, Nottingham Forest and SC Fribourg. Impressive throughout the two-leg tie, Aston Villa thoroughly outclassed Bologna (4-0 away and 4-0 at home) to win 7-1 on aggregate. For their part, Nottingham Forest sealed their qualification by defeating FC Porto (1-0), confirming the advantage they gained in the first leg (2-1 on aggregate over the two matches).

In the other ties, Braga delivered a fine performance by winning on Real Betis’ home ground (4-2), sealing their place with an aggregate score of 5-3. Finally, SC Fribourg gave Celta Vigo no chance (3-1), concluding a two-legged tie largely under control (6-1 on aggregate). The semi-finals, scheduled for April 30, will feature two enticing fixtures: Aston Villa will face Nottingham Forest, while Braga will take on SC Fribourg.