McGinn's early goal gives Aston Villa its first win of the season in Europa League

Captain John McGinn's early goal was enough to give Aston Villa its first win of the season as the English side beat Bologna 1-0 in the Europa League on Thursday.

McGinn beat Bologna goalkeeper Łukasz Skorupski with a low left-foot shot from outside the area 13 minutes into the match at Villa Park.

Substitute Ollie Watkins earned a penalty in the second half but then failed to stretch the lead with a poorly executed spot kick that was saved by Skorupski.

Villa has endured a frustrating start domestically, with three draws and two losses in the Premier League. But it has a coach who knows how to succeed in Europe: Unai Emery is the most successful manager in the second-tier Europa League with four titles, three with Sevilla and one with Villarreal.

Emery led Villa to placings of fourth and sixth in the last two Premier League seasons and to the quarterfinals of the Champions League. But this season Villa is winless in the Premier League, scoring a single goal in five games and already eliminated from the English League Cup.

The game against the Serie A team was a rematch of their encounter last season at Villa Park in the Champions League, where Villa won 2-0. McGinn also scored one in that game.

Another team struggling in its domestic league, winless Rangers, fell to a 1-0 loss to Belgian visitors Genk at Ibrox Stadium, a result that only puts more pressure on coach Russell Martin.

Rangers midfielder Mohamed Diomande was sent off for a straight red card four minutes before halftime. But goalkeeper Jack Butland prevented the visitors from taking the lead before the break by saving a penalty from Oh Hyeon-gyu in first-half stoppage time.

But the South Korea striker found the back of the net 10 minutes into the second half, beating Butland with a left-foot strike.

In one of the early kickoffs, veteran striker Olivier Giroud came off the bench to score a late goal and give Lille a 2-1 win over Brann.

The 38-year-old former Arsenal, Chelsea, AC Milan and Los Angeles FC striker surged into the area to meet a cross form Tiago Santos and head home the winner 10 minutes from time.

Hamza Igamane broke the deadlock nine minutes into the second half from close range to give Lille a 1-0 lead. The Norwegian visitors replied six minutes later on a fast counter through Saevar Atli Magnússon.

In another early game, Romanian club FCSB won 1-0 away at Go Ahead Eagles, in the Dutch team's debut in the competition. The hosts qualified by winning the Dutch Cup.

In Bern, Morocco forward Anass Zaroury netted three goals and Karol Swiderski added another for Panathinaikos to rout Young Boys 4-1 after jumping out to a 3-0 lead after just 19 minutes. Saidy Janko pulled one back for Young Boys.

Recently signed winger Badredine Bouanani scored for Stuttgart by lobbing goalkeeper Ionut Radu, and Bilal El Khannouss added one more in the second half to hand Celta Vigo a 2-1 defeat. Borja Iglesis reduced the deficit for the Spanish club, which returned to a European competition for the first time since 2016-17 season.

Also, Lyon won 1-0 away at Utrecht courtesy of a strike by substitute Tanner Tessmann and Porto beat Salzburg by the same score after another substitute, William Gomes, scored the winner in stoppage time.

Hungarian champion Fenencáros was reduced to 10 men after midfielder Cebrail Makreckis received his second yellow card in the 38th minute but managed to draw 1-1 with Czech side Viktoria Plzeň in Budapest.

The Europa League uses the same 36-team league format as the Champions League. Teams play eight different opponents during the league phase and are ranked in a single-standings table.

The opening round was split over two days. On Wednesday, Antony's late equalizer rescued a 2-2 draw for Real Betis against Nottingham Forest.

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Panathinaikos' Anass Zaroury celebrates scoring during the Europa League soccer match between BSC Young Boys and Panathinaikos FC, at the Wankdorf stadium, in Bern, Switzerland, Thursday, Sept. 25, 2025. (Alessandro della Valle/Keystone via AP)

Genk's Oh Hyeon-Gyu, right, scores his sides first goal against Rangers during a Europa League soccer match at Ibrox Stadium in Glasgow, Scotland, Thursday, Sept. 25, 2025. (Ewan Bootman/PA via AP)

Aston Villa's Ollie Watkins, left, takes and misses a penalty during the Europa League soccer match between Aston Villa and Bologna at Villa Park stadium in Birmingham, England, Thursday, Sept. 25, 2025. (AP Photo/Darren Staples)

Aston Villa's John McGinn celebrates at the end of the Europa League soccer match between Aston Villa and Bologna at Villa Park stadium in Birmingham, England, Thursday, Sept. 25, 2025. (AP Photo/Darren Staples)

Brann's Saevar Atli Magnusson, left, fights for the ball with Lille's Chancel Mbemba, right, during the Europa League soccer match between Lille and Brann at the Pierre Mauroy stadium in Villeneuve d'Ascq, northern France, Thursday, Sept. 25, 2025. (AP Photo/Jean-Francois Badias)

Lille's Olivier Giroud, center, and Lille's Calvin Verdonk, left, celebrate after their win during the Europa League soccer match between Lille and Brann at the Pierre Mauroy stadium in Villeneuve d'Ascq, northern France, Thursday, Sept. 25, 2025. (AP Photo/Jean-Francois Badias)

Lille's Olivier Giroud celebrates after scoring his sides second goal during the Europa League soccer match between Lille and Brann at the Pierre Mauroy stadium in Villeneuve d'Ascq, northern France, Thursday, Sept. 25, 2025. (AP Photo/Jean-Francois Badias)

Bologna's Riccardo Orsolini, center left, celebrates scoring during the Serie A soccer match between Bologna and Genoa at the Renato Dall'Ara Stadium in Bologna, Italy, Saturday, Sept. 20, 2025. (Massimo Paolone/LaPresse via AP)

Aston Villa manager Unai Emery, right, and Tyrone Mings during a training session at Bodymoor Heath Training Ground, Tamworth, England, Wednesday Sept. 24, 2025, one day ahead of their UEFA Europa League soccer match against Bologna FC. (Jacob King/PA via AP)

Aston Villa's Donyell Malen, right, in action during the English Premier League soccer match between Sunderland and Aston Villa at the Stadium of Light, in Sunderland, England, Sunday Sept. 21, 2025. (Owen Humphreys/PA via AP)

WASHINGTON (AP) — Most American presidents aspire to the kind of greatness that prompts future generations to name important things in their honor.

Donald Trump isn't leaving it to future generations.

As the first year of his second term wraps up, his Republican administration and allies have put his name on the U.S. Institute of Peace, the Kennedy Center performing arts venue and a new class of battleships that's yet to be built.

That’s on top of the “Trump Accounts” for tax-deferred investments, the TrumpRx government website soon to offer direct sales of prescription drugs, the “Trump Gold Card” visa that costs at least $1 million and the Trump Route for International Peace and Prosperity, a transit corridor included in a deal his administration brokered between Armenia and Azerbaijan.

On Friday, he attended a ceremony at his Florida home to mark the renaming of a 4-mile (6-kilometer) stretch of road from the airport to his Mar-a-Lago estate in Palm Beach as President Donald J. Trump Boulevard.

“That’s a very important stretch," Trump said as he thanked local officials for the dedication.

“When people see that the beautiful sign is all lit up nice at night and it says ‘Donald J. Trump Boulevard,’ they’ll be filled with pride. Just pride," Trump said. “Not in me. Pride in our country.”

It’s unprecedented for a sitting president to embrace tributes of that number and scale, especially those proffered by members of his administration. And while past sitting presidents have typically been honored by local officials naming schools and roads after them, it's exceedingly rare for airports, federal buildings, warships or other government assets to be named for someone still in power.

“At no previous time in history have we consistently named things after a president who was still in office,” said Jeffrey Engel, the David Gergen Director of the Center for Presidential History at Southern Methodist University in Dallas. “One might even extend that to say a president who is still alive. Those kind of memorializations are supposed to be just that — memorials to the passing hero.”

White House spokeswoman Liz Huston said the TrumpRx website linked to the president's deals to lower the price of some prescription drugs, along with “overdue upgrades of national landmarks, lasting peace deals, and wealth-creation accounts for children are historic initiatives that would not have been possible without President Trump’s bold leadership.”

"The Administration’s focus isn’t on smart branding, but delivering on President Trump’s goal of Making America Great Again," Huston said.

The White House pointed out that the nation's capital was named after President George Washington and the Hoover Dam was named after President Herbert Hoover while each was serving as president.

For Trump, it’s a continuation of the way he first etched his place onto the American consciousness, becoming famous as a real estate developer who affixed his name in big gold letters on luxury buildings and hotels, a casino and assorted products like neckties, wine and steaks.

As he ran for president in 2024, the candidate rolled out Trump-branded business ventures for watches, fragrances, Bibles and sneakers — including golden high tops priced at $799. After taking office again last year, Trump's businesses launched a Trump Mobile phone company, with plans to unveil a gold-colored smartphone and a cryptocurrency memecoin named $TRUMP.

That’s not to be confused with plans for a physical, government-issued Trump coin that U.S. Treasurer Brandon Beach said the U.S. Mint is planning.

Trump has also reportedly told the owners of Washington’s NFL team that he would like his name on the Commanders’ new stadium. The team’s ownership group, which has the naming rights, has not commented on the idea. But a White House spokeswoman in November called the proposed name “beautiful” and said Trump made the rebuilding of the stadium possible.

The addition of Trump’s name to the Kennedy Center in December so outraged independent Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont that he introduced legislation this week to ban the naming or renaming of any federal building or land after a sitting president — a ban that would retroactively apply to the Kennedy Center and Institute of Peace.

“I think he is a narcissist who likes to see his name up there. If he owns a hotel, that’s his business,” Sanders said in an interview. “But he doesn’t own federal buildings.”

Sanders likened Trump's penchant for putting his name on government buildings and more to the actions of authoritarian leaders throughout history.

“If the American people want to name buildings after a president who is deceased, that’s fine. That’s what we do,” Sanders said. “But to use federal buildings to enhance your own position very much sounds like the ‘Great Leader’ mentality of North Korea, and that is not something that I think the American people want.”

Although some of the naming has been suggested by others, the president has made clear he’s pleased with the tributes.

Three months after the announcement of the Trump Route for International Peace and Prosperity, a name the White House says was proposed by Armenian officials, the president gushed about it at a White House dinner.

“It’s such a beautiful thing, they named it after me. I really appreciate it. It’s actually a big deal,” he told a group of Central Asian leaders.

Engel, the presidential historian, said the practice can send a signal to people "that the easiest way to get access and favor from the president is to play to his ego and give him something or name something after him.”

Some of the proposals for honoring Trump include legislation in Congress from New York Republican Rep. Claudia Tenney that would designate June 14 as “Trump’s Birthday and Flag Day," placing the president with the likes of Martin Luther King Jr., George Washington and Jesus Christ, whose birthdays are recognized as national holidays.

Florida Republican Rep. Greg Steube has introduced legislation that calls for the Washington-area rapid transit system, known as the Metro, to be renamed the “Trump Train.” North Carolina Republican Rep. Addison McDowell has introduced legislation to rename Washington Dulles International Airport as Donald J. Trump International Airport.

McDowell said it makes sense to give Dulles a new name since Trump has already announced plans to revamp the airport, which currently is a tribute to former Secretary of State John Foster Dulles.

The congressman said he wanted to honor Trump because he feels the president has been a champion for combating the scourge of fentanyl, a personal issue for McDowell after his brother’s overdose death. But he also cited Trump’s efforts to strike peace deals all over the world and called him “one of the most consequential presidents ever.”

“I think that’s somebody that deserves to be honored, whether they’re still the president or whether they’re not," he said.

More efforts are underway in Florida, Trump’s adopted home.

Republican state lawmaker Meg Weinberger said she is working on an effort to rename Palm Beach International Airport as Donald J. Trump International Airport, a potential point of confusion with the Dulles effort.

The boulevard dedicated to Trump on Friday is not the first Florida asphalt to herald Trump upon his return to the White House.

In the south Florida city of Hialeah, officials in December 2024 renamed a street there as President Donald J. Trump Avenue.

Trump, speaking at a Miami business conference the next month, called it a “great honor” and said he loved the mayor for it.

“Anybody that names a boulevard after me, I like,” he said.

He added a few moments later: “A lot of people come back from Hialeah, they say, ‘They just named a road after you.' I say, ‘That’s OK.’ It’s a beginning, right? It’s a start.”

Supporters wave flags as President Donald Trump motorcades through West Palm Beach, Fla., along Southern Boulevard, the stretch of road being dedicated to him, Friday, Jan. 16, 2026. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)

Attendees wait for President Donald Trump to arrive at a dedication ceremony for a portion of Southern Boulevard, which the Town of Palm Beach Council recently voted to rename,"President Donald J. Trump Boulevard," Friday, Jan. 16, 2026, at his Mar-a-Lago Club in Palm Beach, Fla. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)

FILE - A sign for the Rose Garden is seen near the Presidential Walk of Fame on the Colonnade at the White House, Jan. 13, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein, File)

FILE - President Donald Trump speaks with reporters as a flag pole is installed on the South Lawn of the White House, June 18, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci, File)

FILE - Workers add President Donald Trump's name to the John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts, after a Trump-appointed board voted to rename the institution, in Washington, Dec. 19, 2025. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite, File)

FILE - A poster showing the Trump Gold Card is seen as President Donald Trump signs executive orders in the Oval Office of the White House, Sept. 19, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon, file)