SOCCER: Sancho sends Villa through as Lyon and Freiburg also advance to Europa League last 16

ISTANBUL — Aston Villa secured a spot in the Europa League last 16 on Thursday, as Jadon Sancho’s header earned a 1-0 win at Fenerbahce. SC Freiburg and Olympique Lyonnais also booked their places in the knockout stage.

The deadlock in Istanbul was broken in the 25th minute when Sancho directed a precise downward header into the net after a deflected cross from Matty Cash. Villa maintained their lead despite pressure from the home side.

Fenerbahce thought they had equalized in the 75th minute when Kerem Akturkoglu found the net, but the goal was disallowed after an offside in the build-up. Villa held on to secure the victory and confirm their spot in the next round.

In another Group A match, Celtic started strongly in Bologna with two first-half goals. Reo Hatate opened the scoring early, and Auston Trusty doubled the lead before halftime. However, Hatate was sent off after receiving two yellow cards.

Bologna responded through Thijs Dallinga, and Jonathan Rowe later brought the match level in the 72nd minute. The game ended in a 2-2 draw.

Lyon booked their place in the next round with a hard-fought 1-0 win over Young Boys. Ainsley Maitland-Niles scored deep into first-half stoppage time in Bern to secure the victory for the French side.

Freiburg also advanced after a late goal from Igor Matanovic gave them a 1-0 win at home against Maccabi Tel-Aviv.

In Bergen, SK Brann and Midtjylland played out a thrilling 3-3 draw. A penalty by Joachim Soltvedt in the tenth minute of stoppage time rescued a point for the Norwegian side.

Real Betis saw their strong Europa League run end after losing 2-0 at PAOK. Andrija Zivkovic scored the opening goal, while Giorgos Giakoumakis converted a penalty to seal the win for the Greek team.

-Reporting by Tommy Lund in Gdansk; Editing by Christian Radnedge/Reuters