A night poised to be what dreams are made of turned into an evening of nightmares for Aston Villa, as Unai Emery’s side lost 4-2 to Olympiacos.
Aston Villa featured in their first European semi-final in 42 years on Thursday night however, the Villans didn’t expect the milestone to reflect the scoreline.
In the first leg of the Europa Conference League semi-final, Olympiacos shocked Unai Emery’s side by winning 4-2, giving Villa a mountain to climb in the second leg.
READ MORE: Why Unai Emery was ‘fuming’ with one Aston Villa player v Olympiacos
It was a night of lows for the whole squad however, one player is likely to now lose sleep, as Douglas Luiz suffered a horrendous evening at Villa Park.
Douglas Luiz had a ‘nightmare’ during the Olympiacos defeat
It was all action for the Brazilian in both penalty boxes, as the midfielder conceded a penalty by handling the ball and then missed a penalty late on, a chance that could have given Villa some hope ahead of the second leg.
As well as the two agonising mishaps in the box, Luiz struggled to impose himself in midfield, particularly in the second half, carrying on a theme that was seen against Chelsea.
During the fixture, TNT Sports commentator Adam Summerton branded the 25-year-old’s night as a ‘nightmare’, reacting to his penalty miss in the 84th minute.
“Frustrating night for him. The handball for the penalty and he couldn’t convert here.
“Nightmare night for him.”
If the midfielder had scored from the spot, Villa could have taken a one-goal deficit with them to Greece, a miss that will undoubtedly leave Luiz pondering ‘what could have been’.
Douglas Luiz’s night against Olympiacos was shadowed by penalty drama
As seen in the table below, Luiz didn’t have the worst night statistically, making it even more unfortunate that his display will be defined by his actions in both penalty areas.
Emery was seen to be ‘fuming’ at his prized midfielder for his lack of presence in the first half, seeing Olympiacos net two goals before Ollie Watkins got one back before the interval.
Douglas Luiz Statistics v Olympiacos
| Touches | 98 |
| Pass completion rate | 95% |
| Key passes | 4 |
| Duel wins | 11/16 |
| Penalty committed | 1 |
| Penalty miss | 1 |
| Possession lost | 9x |
| Tackles | 4 |
Unfortunately for the Brazilian, his performance levels against Olympiacos were comparable to his approach to Villa’s 2-2 draw with Chelsea, a fixture that saw him criticised for his display in the middle of the park.
It seems as though Luiz is a different player from the one that is seen alongside Boubacar Kamara, with the 25-year-old clearly unsettled in the midfield when expected to play a deeper role.
Fortunately, it’s only halftime in the tie, giving Villa and Luiz the chance to redeem themselves in Greece but first, the Villans must compose themselves for a must-win duel against Brighton on Sunday.
