"At least Aston Villa did what was expected of them, ultimately coming through with comfort against a respectable Maccabi Tel Aviv team who had chances to make a sleepy affair more interesting. They needed the points to put their Europa League campaign back on track, settling for a rasping Ian Maatsen finish and, in the second half, a Donyell Malen penalty."
"Inside Villa Park, the game's backstory was told most starkly by the empty banks of seats in the Doug Ellis Stand that has housed away supporters since time immemorial. You've seen the Villa, now fuck off home, was the chant directed that way by the home choirs, noticeably depleted in number, shortly after kick-off. The adaptation of a chide commonly heard at domestic games was of a piece with a quiet, mellow atmosphere far removed from the scenes a few metres outside the stands."
There was a prevailing sense of relief that the event passed safely with no real winners. Aston Villa defeated Maccabi Tel Aviv, scoring a rasping Ian Maatsen finish and a second-half Donyell Malen penalty, while Maccabi had chances to enliven the match. The tie had provoked calls in August for Israeli clubs to be barred from European competition, and visiting fans were later banned on public safety grounds. Protests around the ground were largely contained, with six arrests in minor skirmishes before kick-off and about 700 police deployed. Empty away seats and reduced away choruses underscored the match's fraught backdrop.
Read at www.theguardian.com
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