VILLA’S longest serving player John McGinn was the oldest swinger in town as his wicked free-kick broke Bologna.

The Scot’s perfectly flighted delivery was missed by Jhon Duran and Ross Barkley.

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But much more importantly it was missed by the Bologna defence, including goalkeeper Lukasz Skorupski.

After helping Villa back to the Premier League, McGinn has done the hard rounds and deserved his glorious moment. 

Duran, trusted ahead of Ollie Watkins, repaid Unai Emery’s faith in him, adding a second to put Villa in easy street.

Maximum points after three games and not a goal conceded yet.

Euro expert Emery is making this look all so easy!

You can never accuse the Spaniard of not having huge Cajones.

He stepped down England ace – and weekend scorer against Fulham – Watkins.

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And replaced him with Colombian kid striker Duran who was handed only his second start of the season – one month after his previous one in the Carabao Cup against Wycombe! 

It was Emery’s reward for Duran’s stunning winner from the bench against Bayern Munich last time out in Europe.

The burning question was could big Jhon do it from the start?

There was a return too for Villa skipper McGinn, who made his first start since he damaged his hamstring against Wolves last month.

However, it would have been interesting to discover the Scot’s thoughts about being welcomed by a huge Tifo of three snarling lions draped from the Holte End.

Any thoughts that Villa would be forced to break down a blanket Bologna defence were swiftly dispelled because the visitors were first to go for goal within two minutes.

Skipper Sam Beukema caught out Ezri Konsa with a raking pass out of defence to release winger Dan Ndoye.

The Swiss international pulled the ball back to Kacper Urbanski but the Pole sliced his shot weakly wide from the edge of the box.

Vincenzo Italiano’s men have only managed one point from their opening two games and probably felt they needed to leave here with three points to avoid becoming also-rans.

And no-one at Villa Park was complaining as the play raged from end to end like a basketball match.

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Villa forced a string of early corners and free-kicks as Youri Tielemans pinned Bologna back around their own penalty area.

Pau Torres was crowded out at the near post and Skorupski frantically fisted clear under pressure from Duran. 

But Bologna were menacing on the break and Martinez beat out a fierce effort from Dallinga after more brilliant build up work from Ndoye.

He then had to get down low to smother a shot on the run from Riccardo Orsolini, who was then snuffed out at the backpost by Ian Maatsen.

The Italian winger was then booked for a foul on Maatsen as this pair fought and scratched for every inch of turf.

McGinn tested Skorupski with a low shot which the Pole in goal, palmed away at full stretch before Dallinga snatched at a chance, firing straight at Martinez.

It was high-octane stuff and Villa ended the first half by carving out two great chances for Morgan Rogers.

However his first effort flew a fraction wide from 20 yards, before Skorupski defied him with an outstrtched right boot, when the Villa man might have been better off dinking the keeper.

Emery sent on Barkley for Amadou Onana at the break while Orsolini made way for Jens Odgaard for Bologna.

But the pace increased if anything!

Lykogiannis was booked for leaving one on Leon Bailey before Konsa nodded a Maatsen cross down for Bailey who swept his shot agonisingly wide.

But Bologna hit back and Stefan Posch added even more spice with a sizzler which flew just wide.

Tensions were running high and Remo Freuler was booked for a foul on Konsa, which sent Bologna berserk as they claimed Konsa had fouled Giovanni Fabbian seconds earlier.

Even Emery was getting heated as he fell out with Vincenzo Italiano before making up with a sporting handshake.

But Italiano was cursing the Spaniard again seconds later as Villa hit his side with a quickfire double.

From the resultant free-kick McGinn swept in a curling delivery, Barkley and Duran failed to connect and the ball curled beyond Skorupski and in at the far post.

Cue a Holte End frenzy as McGinn was swamped by his celebrating team-mates.

VAR checked for a potential handball against Barkley but nothing amiss was found.

Villa sniffed blood and killed Bologna off nine minutes later.

Rogers delivered a delicious cross and Duran thrust out a leg to beat his Columbian international teammate Jhon Lucumi to divert the ball beyond Skorupski. 

It was the 20-year-old’s final touch of the game before he was replaced by Watkins in a triple substitution.

For reasons best known to him he threw his toys out of the pram, punching his seat after he was replaced.

But Villa will live with the tantrums because the kid is a star!

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Prior to Tuesday’s announcement, only athletics and swimming were assured of their place at Glasgow 2026 as ‘mandatory’ Commonwealth Games sports.

The sports dropped have met the decision with understandable disappointment.

Diving has been part of every Games since 1930 but has missed out in Glasgow, with a lack of an existing purpose-built venue being cited as the primary reason.

Scottish Swimming acknowledged the “difficult decisions” facing organisers but Diving Australia said the sport’s Commonwealth heritage made the decision “even more regrettable”.

Hockey is another long-standing core sport – having been introduced in 1998 – to lose out.

“It is really disappointing and a reflection of where we are as a sport,” said former Great Britain captain Kate Richardson-Walsh, who helped England win women’s hockey silver at Glasgow 2014.

“It is a moment where we should reflect as a sport, for many different reasons, about how we can improve and stay relevant.”

Squash, badminton and table tennis were all culled, meaning there will be no racquet sports in Glasgow.

Three-time squash gold medallist Nick Matthew was surprised his sport’s “heritage and tradition of providing a world class competition in the Commonwealths” did not save its place.

“It’s a blow. With the UK countries, Australia, New Zealand, Pakistan, India, Malaysia, etc, the depth of competition is incredibly high,” said Matthew.

“Hockey missing out stood out to me as well. I think you would be hard pushed to see more world class sports at Commonwealth level than squash or hockey.”

Scottish badminton player Kirsty Gilmour, who won silver at Glasgow 2014, said she felt “sad” for young players who are missing out on a global event.

“We had to have conversations in training about realigning focuses and future prospects because for the 19, 20, 21-year-olds that was going to be a big multisport doorstep event,” the 31-year-old Glaswegian told BBC Radio 5 Live.

Three months on from the ceremony in the Cote d’Azur, she feels “great to be back” renewing her ties with her homeland.

“I’ve been looking forward to this camp for a number of weeks,” Weir said. “It was by far the toughest I’ve had to go through in my career. There were so many ups and downs.

“Looking back, I’ve learned a lot. I do feel grateful for a slight change in perspective coming back.”

Weir tried to remain as “balanced” and “rational” as she could as she worked her way back to fitness.

“Some days, it felt like this is totally fine, I can totally do this,” she explained. “Other days, there were tough times.

“It’s physically really demanding. There were so many elements to this injury. It is quite a complex surgery.

“Unfortunately, it’s really common, but there’s a lot to it. It definitely wasn’t a simple journey to recovery, but parts of it I enjoyed.

“I kind of enjoyed that challenge. I’ve been lucky that I had never been injured before. I was proud of the way I dealt with it most of the time. These things happen, it’s part of sport.”

Looking toward the tie with Hungary, Weir believes the 2022 World Cup play-off defeat by Republic of Ireland can “drive us on”.

“I believe in this team, I believe in the squad,” she added. “Everything we worked on has led us to this point.

“We really think and believe and hope that it’s going to be this time.”

Sarfaraz Khan struck a majestic 150 while Rishabh Pant made a brisk 99 as India were all out for 462 in their second innings, setting New Zealand a target of 107 on day four of the opening Test in Bengaluru on Saturday.

Just when New Zealand came out to bat late in the final session, rain brought an early end to the day’s play with the visitors playing just four balls in the second innings, with openers Tom Latham and Devon Conway yet to open their accounts.

Sarfaraz’s maiden hundred and Pant’s innings offered hope for India, but their dismissals led to a swift decline for the hosts. Resuming at 438 for six after tea, India lost their final four wickets Ravindra Jadeja, Ravichandran Ashwin, Jasprit Bumrah, and Mohammed Siraj in quick succession, ending their innings in 99.3 overs.

At tea, India were at 438 for six, holding an 82-run lead. Due to rain, there was a nearly two-hour delay, including a 40-minute lunch break, while India had previously trailed New Zealand by 12 runs in their second innings.

India were all out for just 46 in their first innings, while New Zealand responded with 402.

Brief scores: India 46 & 462 in 99.3 overs (Rohit Sharma 52, Virat Kohli 70, Sarfaraz Khan 150, Rishabh Pant 99; Ajaz Patel 2/100, William O’Rourke 3/92, Matt Henry 3/102 ) vs New Zealand 402 & 0/0 in 0.4 overs. 

WITH his arms outstretched, holding the Europa League aloft, Jose Mourinho took the acclaim of Manchester United’s faithful.

The date was May 24, 2017. The venue was the Friends Arena, Stockholm.

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At that moment — more than any other in the turbulent 11 years since Sir Alex Ferguson retired — it really did feel like Manchester United were back.

They had faced a young Ajax team who were tipped to showcase the future with their short passing and high pressing against a man some were beginning to write off.

Mourinho out thought his opposite number Peter Bosz who, after the final whistle, would bemoan the tactics United had employed.

They were simple. If they want to press high and pass short we’ll whack it over them onto the head of Marouane Fellaini and he’ll lay it off to Marcus Rashford and go from there.

It worked a treat, Paul Pogba and Henrikh Mkhitaryan getting the goals in a 2-0 win.

Not long after, in a conversation with former chairman Martin Edwards, he said that the club really believed they were on to something special with Mourinho.

He had already bagged the League Cup that season in what is still probably the most exciting final the new Wembley has seen as United beat Southampton 3-2.

Foreign coaches tend to hold a lot more store by the Community Shield, or Super Cups as they are called abroad, so Mourinho was happy to claim a treble as he got his players to hold up three fingers at the final whistle in Stockholm.

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On the team plane on the way home he was pictured laughing and joking with Pogba, the player who helped lead to his demise less than two years later.

At the start of that season Mourinho was being written off as a United boss after a 1-0 away loss to Feyenoord sandwiched between defeats to Manchester City and Watford.

Yet it had been on the eve of that Feyenoord clash late at night outside a hotel in Rotterdam that Mourinho was returning from dinner with his staff and happened across three of us in the Manchester press pack.

Asked for a chat, he came over and explained, off the record, what he was having to do to unpick the Louis van Gaal football to create his own brand.

His football brand that was a step up from the drudgery under Van Gaal although not always popular with the United faithful.

But they liked him, and the fact he won, he gave United standing again, an image, they felt big.

True that first Premier League season did not go well as they came sixth.

Asked for a chat, he came over and explained, off the record, what he was having to do to unpick the Louis van Gaal football to create his own brand.

But he had worked out late in the campaign the Europa League would provide the easier route back into the Champions League and cleverly rotated his squad accordingly.

The following season he boasted it was one his greatest-ever achievements to lead United to Premier League runners-up spot behind City.

He would deny the neighbours claiming the title on derby day as the Red Devils came back from 2-0 down at the Etihad to win 3-2.

It was Pogba’s only good game. It is often forgotten that Mourinho also led the Red Devils to an FA Cup final that season going down 1-0 to Chelsea in the final.

So it was all heading in the right direction as the season ended. Then came the summer in LA and we all realised something was not right.

In a building at their training base in UCLA he was asked an innocent question as to whether he thought he had the squad to now go a step further and challenge for the title.

He replied: “I cannot answer that question.” Eyebrows were raised.

Later in the tour he would be seen in the foyer of a stadium snarling down the phone ‘it’s s**t, s**t’. Uh-oh.

It seems an unsuccessful pursuit of Harry Maguire was part of it but his relationship with executive vice-chairman Ed Woodward was fracturing.

Nobody wanted this all to unravel but the unravelling had started.

He refused to engage in the traditional on-tour relaxed interview with the English media that every United boss has done. And saw criticism and injustice which was not there.

The meltdown continued after a 3-0 home loss to Spurs he demanded ‘respect, respect respect’ from the media because he had won three titles.

By the club’s Champions League exit to Valencia, he was questioning whether United had a ‘football heritage’ in Europe.

Later in the tour he would be seen in the foyer of a stadium snarling down the phone ‘it’s s**t, s**t’. Uh-oh.

Less than a week later, after a 3-1 defeat at Liverpool he was gone.

“How on earth did it get to that point?” I asked Woodward later. He suggested if I had had to work with Mourinho, I would have known.

He has never been easy. But as he sits in his Four Seasons’ suite on the banks of the Bosphorus tonight he will be planning to bring down his former club in the Europa League.

There are already murmurings of unrest at his new club Fenerbahce.

But United and Erik ten Hag know he is the man for the big occasion.

He has only lost five times against United as the opposition manager. He remains special.

In years to come United fans may look back and realise that — for two years under him — it was special, too.

Ten Hag’s five worst defeats

ERIK TEN HAG has suffered some heavy defeats during his tenure as Manchester United manager.

5. Copenhagen 4-3 Man Utd, November 2023

The damaging defeat saw the Red Devils dumped out of the Champions League.

4. Man Utd 0-3 Bournemouth, December 2023

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It was the first time the Cherries had ever won at Old Trafford with the players being booed off.

3. Brentford 4-0 Man Utd, August 2022

Perhaps a sign of things to come, in Ten Hag’s second Premier League game, his side was dismantled by the Bees.

2. Crystal Palace 4-0 Man Utd, May 2024

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The heavy defeat to the Eagles saw the Dutchman edge ever closer to the sack.

1. Liverpool 7-0 Man Utd, March 2023

Man Utd were embarrassed at the hands of their bitter rivals as they crumbled at Anfield as it was the club’s worst defeat in 92 years.

Five-time Premier League winner Patrice Evra says the future at Manchester United is “not bright”, with his old club having been “in a chaos” for more than a decade.

The Old Trafford side last won the league title in 2013, their last season under legendary manager Sir Alex Ferguson, and sit 12th in the table under current boss Erik ten Hag.

Evra left a year after Ferguson and the former France captain believes United are still counting the cost of losing such trophy-winning experience.

“It’s always tough to talk about United right now because back in the day we used to play for the fans, for the badge, for the history,” he told BBC Sport NI.

A smiling Evra added: “I blame myself, I blame Sir Alex Ferguson”.

“When we left, we left too early and it’s difficult for the players because they don’t have any example,” he added.

“I’m not inside, I don’t know what the problem is. The manager Ten Hag is trying to do his best – it’s not good enough. But it’s not just about this season, it’s since we won the last league in 2013, the club has been like in a chaos.”