Sancho scores as Aston Villa seals Europa League last-16 spot with 1-0 win over Fenerbahce

Jadon Sancho scored his first goal for Aston Villa to lift his new club past Fenerbahce 1-0 and into the Europa League round of 16 on Thursday with a game to spare.

Lyon also clinched a last-16 spot with a 1-0 victory over Young Boys in Bern, and Freiburg joined them by beating Maccabi Tel Aviv by the same score.

Lyon and Villa are level on points (18) with six wins and a loss atop the standings with one game to go the in the league phase. Freiburg is one point behind in third.

Like in the Champions League, the top eight finishers advance automatically after eight rounds to the round of 16 while the teams placed from nine to 24 enter a two-leg playoff to progress.

Sancho, who joined Villa on a season-long loan from Manchester United in September, met a deflected cross from Matty Cash to hand Villa the victory.

Villa manager Unai Emery had a string of injured players unavailable, including captain John McGinn and defensive midfielder Boubacar Kamara.

Emery has won the Europa League trophy four times during stints in charge of Sevilla and Villarreal.

Ainsley Maitland-Niles delivered for Lyon in first-half stoppage time for the French team's 1-0 win over Young Boys.

Freiburg got a late goal from Igor Matanovic for the Bundesliga club to beat Maccabi Tel Aviv 1-0.

Joachim Soltvedt converted from the spot in the 10th minute of stoppage time to salvage a 3-3 home draw for Norwegian side Brann against Midtjylland that dropped the Danish club to fourth place on 16 points.

Morgan Gibbs-White missed an opportunity to put Nottingham Forest ahead when Braga goalkeeper Lukáš Horníček saved his spot kick early in the second half. Less than a minute later, the Portuguese hosts took a 1-0 lead on Ryan Yates' own goal. The Premier League club couldn't equalize and saw substitute Elliot Anderson dismissed in stoppage time.

Braga is fifth, level on points with Midtjylland.

At Stadio Olimpico, Niccolò Pisilli scored twice for Roma to beat Stuttgart 2-0 and move to sixth on 15 points.

Ferencvaros dropped to seventh after it was held 1-1 by Panathinaikos.

Real Betis lost 2-0 at PAOK with captain Andrija Živković and Giorgos Giakoumakis scoring second-half goals and has 14 points in eighth, the same as Porto in ninth.

Porto and Viktoria Plzen drew 1-1. Samu wasted a penalty for Porto awarded after Plzen captain Matěj Vydra handled the ball in an effort to prevent the visitors from scoring and received the straight red card. Substitute Deniz Gül netted the equalizer in the final minute for the Portuguese side.

Ten-man Celtic marked a return of coach Martin O’Neill to Europe with a 2-2 draw in Bologna.

Reo Hatate put Celtic ahead early before collecting two quick yellow cards and was sent off in the 34th minute. Celtic still stretched the lead through United States international Auston Trusty late in the first half.

Bologna came back in the second to salvage a point after goals from Thijs Dallinga and Jonathan Rowe.

Celtic was 24th. Its Glasgow rival, Rangers, finally claimed a win in the campaign, 1-0 over Ludogorets, but their four points are not enough to make the knockout stage.

Sturm Graz used a one-time kit in their match at Feyenoord without the name of its beer sponsor. Due to a ban on advertising alcohol in the Netherlands, Sturm players wore black jerseys with a message in white letters that read: “Stop Violence Against Women,” part of the club’s initiative “Sturm Helps.”

Sturm said UEFA “responded very helpfully and openly” to its request for the change. A limited edition of the jerseys has been on sale while those used in Rotterdam were set to be auctioned after the game that Feyenoord won 3-0.

AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer

Roma's Niccolo Pisilli, center, celebrates after scoring his side's second goal during the Europa League soccer match between Roma and VfB Stuttgart in Rome, Thursday, Jan. 22, 2026. (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)

Nottingham Forest's Ryan Yates, center, and Morgan Gibbs-White, background, react after a missed chance to score during the Europa League opening phase soccer match between SC Braga and Nottingham Forest in Braga, Portugal, Thursday, Jan. 22, 2026. (AP Photo/Luis Vieira)

Bologna's Thijs Dallinga, right, celebrates scoring during the Europa League opening phase soccer match between Bologna and Celtic in Bologna, Italy, Thursday Jan. 22, 2026. (Massimo Paolone/LaPresse via AP)

Freiburg's Igor Matanovic, centre right, scores the opening goal during the Europa League opening phase soccer match between between SC Freiburg and Maccabi Tel Aviv in Freiburg Im Breisgau, Germany, Thursday, Jan. 22, 2026. (Philipp von Ditfurth/dpa via AP)

Lyon's Ainsley Maitland-Niles, second from right, scores the opening goal during the Europa League opening phase soccer match between Young Boys and Olympique Lyonnais, in Bern, Switzerland, Thursday, January 22, 2026. (Anthony Anex/Keystone via AP)

Aston Villa's Jadon Sancho, celebrates scoring the opening goal during a Europa League opening phase soccer match between Fenerbahce and Aston Villa, in Istanbul, Turkey, Thursday, Jan. 22, 2026. (AP Photo/Francisco Seco)

Aston Villa's Jadon Sancho, celebrates scoring the opening goal during a Europa League opening phase soccer match between Fenerbahce and Aston Villa, in Istanbul, Turkey, Thursday, Jan. 22, 2026. (AP Photo/Francisco Seco)

Everton's Thierno Barry, center, Aston Villa's Pau Torres, left, and Aston Villa's Ezri Konsa challenge for the ball during the English Premier League soccer match between Aston Villa and Everton in Birmingham, Sunday, Jan. 18, 2026.(AP Photo/Dave Shopland)

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Luke Evangelista scored the only goal of the shootout in the eighth round, and the Nashville Predators tightened the Western Conference playoff race with a 5-4 win over the Los Angeles Kings on Thursday night.

Nashville, Los Angeles and San Jose are now even with 79 points apiece for the second wild-card playoff spot in the West, but the Sharks — who beat Toronto 4-1 earlier Thursday — have a game in hand.

Steven Stamkos scored his 37th goal and Jonathan Marchessault ended his 14-game goal drought for the Preds, who snapped their three-game skid despite blowing a three-goal lead. Filip Forsberg and Zachary L’Heureux also scored.

Juuse Saros stopped 29 shots before turning in a perfect eight-round shootout for Nashville.

The first 15 skaters in the shootout all failed to score before Evangelista ended it with a deke and a backhand for his first shootout goal of the season.

Adrian Kempe scored two goals and Joel Armia tied it midway through the third period for the Kings, who have lost six of eight with their season in the balance.

Scott Laughton also scored, and Darcy Kuemper rebounded from a rough beginning to make 31 saves before a strong shootout.

Before the game, the Kings honored retiring captain Anze Kopitar with a ceremony recognizing his 20-year career. The Slovenian center set the team's career scoring record last month.

Forsberg then scored his 35th goal for Nashville in the opening minute on a stoppable shot, and L’Heureux scored moments later when Kuemper was caught out of his crease.

Kuemper even gave a penalty shot to Nashville late in the first by throwing his stick at the puck, but Ryan O'Reilly couldn't convert. Marchessault got his 12th goal — his first in exactly a month — early in the second.

Kempe finally got the Kings going when Artemi Panarin's 51st assist deflected in off his skate, but Stamkos scored just over two minutes later. After Kempe scored again to secure the fourth 30-goal season of his career, Laughton scored moments later on a rebound.

Armia finally tied it when he drove the net and tapped in Jared Wright's rebound for his 11th goal.

Predators: At San Jose on Saturday night.

Kings: Host Toronto on Saturday.

AP NHL: https://apnews.com/NHL

Nashville Predators center Steven Stamkos (91) is congratulated at the bench after scoring a goal during the second period of an NHL hockey game, against the Los Angeles Kings, Thursday, April 2, 2026, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Jayne Kamin-Oncea)

Nashville Predators defenseman Adam Wilsby, left, and Los Angeles Kings right wing Alex Laferriere battle for the puck during the second period of an NHL hockey game Thursday, April 2, 2026, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Jayne Kamin-Oncea)

Nashville Predators defenseman Nicolas Hague (41) looks on as Los Angeles Kings left wing Artemi Panarin (10) takes a shot on goal during the second period of an NHL hockey game Thursday, April 2, 2026, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Jayne Kamin-Oncea)

Los Angeles Kings right wing Taylor Ward (52) handles the puck away from Nashville Predators center Fedor Svechkov (40) during the second period of an NHL hockey game Thursday, April 2, 2026, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Jayne Kamin-Oncea)

Linesman CJ Murray (68) drops the puck as Los Angeles Kings right wing Alex Laferriere (14) and Nashville Predators left wing Erik Haula face off during the second period of an NHL hockey game Thursday, April 2, 2026, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Jayne Kamin-Oncea)