(Reuters) – Aston Villa face a tough task to turn around their Europa Conference League semi-final after losing the home leg against Olympiakos 4-2 on Thursday but captain John McGinn said they are far from finished.
Unai Emery’s side were 2-0 down inside 30 minutes at Villa Park but levelled through Ollie Watkins and Moussa Diaby before the visitors scored twice more in the second half to secure the advantage ahead of next Thursday’s return leg in Athens.
“We have a mountain to climb but we know we’re capable,” McGinn told reporters.
“They played very well tactically.
“Everything that could have gone wrong tonight did.
“The manager was still positive in (the dressing room). There’s still a long way to go.”
Villa manager Emery felt his side lost possession too easily but said Olympiakos deserved the victory.
“Hopefully next week we can feel better, play better and try to play with personality without losing the ball like today,” he added.
Villa will look to tighten their grip on fourth place in the Premier League with they travel to Brighton & Hove Albion on Sunday. They are seven points ahead of Tottenham Hotspur, who have a game in hand.
(Reporting by Shifa Jahan in Bengaluru;Editing by Peter Rutherford)
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