Gombau delighted to advance in Youth League

Josep Gombau was pleased to see his Aston Villa side advance to the knockout stages of the UEFA Youth League, with a dramatic 4-3 victory away to RB Leipzig on Tuesday afternoon.

Trailing 3-2 in the 92nd minute and facing elimination, stoppage-time strikes from Jamaldeen Jimoh-Aloba and Ben Broggio – the latter’s the final kick of the game from the penalty spot – sealed progression for the Young Lions in quite incredible fashion.

Gombau was happy with his side’s performance, and wants them to enjoy the moment they “deserved”.  

He said: “We are so happy. We won the game which, away [from] home, is not easy, and we can go through to the next round.

“We are very happy for the boys. It is well deserved to go through, because I think we are growing as a team. Happy with the result today.

“They [players] are happy. It is a big win that brings us qualification to the next stage.

“It was a must-win game, because if not, we do not go through. The way we did it, in the last minute, it’s time to enjoy for them. I am happy with the performance of the team.”

In a hectic encounter, which Villa took the lead in after just five minutes through Bradley Burrowes, Gombau credited their perseverance to find a way back after Leipzig had twice gone on to lead the game in the second period.

He is now looking forward to seeing who his side will take on in the next round.

“It was a good game,” the Young Lions boss added.

“Really typical of a youth football game. Normally, they are this kind of result with more goals and more mistakes.

“We started very well, scoring the first goal. After that, they came back. We did well. The boys did well. We have to be happy, and we keep going.

“Now, we need to see which team we will face, and prepare properly.”