The second leg of the UEFA Europa League 2025-26 semi-finals took place on Thursday, May 7, with two decisive matches. Aston Villa crushed Nottingham Forest 4-0 at home, while Freiburg edged past Braga with a 3-1 victory.
Aston Villa dominated the match against Nottingham Forest, scoring four unanswered goals to advance with an aggregate score of 4-1. Freiburg also overturned the tie against Braga, winning 3-1 in the second leg to level the aggregate and progress.
Pre-Season League Standings (Top 5):
1. Lyon – 21 points (7 wins, 0 draws, 1 loss)
2. Aston Villa – 21 points (7 wins, 0 draws, 1 loss)
3. Midtjylland – 19 points (6 wins, 1 draw, 1 loss)
4. Real Betis – 17 points (5 wins, 2 draws, 1 loss)
5. Porto – 17 points (5 wins, 2 draws, 1 loss)
Top Scorers (Top 5):
1. Petar Stanić (Ludogorets) – 7 goals
1. Igor Jesus (Nottingham Forest) – 7 goals
3. Antony (Real Betis) – 6 goals
3. Kerem Aktürkoğlu (Fenerbahçe) – 6 goals
5. Vincenzo Grifo (Freiburg) – 5 goals
Notable Japanese players in the competition include Junya Ito (Genk), Ayumu Yokoyama (Genk), Ayase Ueda (Feyenoord), Go Watanabe (Feyenoord), and Reo Hatate (Celtic).