Islamabad, Aug 7, 2025: Emiliano Buendia stole the spotlight in Aston Villa vs Roma as Villa delivered a dominant first-half performance to claim a convincing 4-0 win in their pre-season showdown.
The Argentine playmaker set the tone early, curling in a superb free-kick after just 15 minutes. Within two minutes, Jacob Ramsey made it 2-0 with a composed strike past Roma keeper Mile Svilar. Buendia continued to impress, turning provider with a pinpoint cross that found Ollie Watkins, who nodded home Villa’s third goal shortly before half-time.
In the final stages, substitute Donyell Malen added Villa’s fourth, cutting inside and smashing the ball into the near post in the 85th minute.
Roma failed to find their rhythm throughout the match. Their only shot on target came from Neil El Aynaoui, and they fell behind in expected goals (xG) as well, with Aston Villa leading 1.12 to Roma’s 0.3. This was a one-sided display from Unai Emery’s men.
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Looking ahead, Villa will take on Marseille in their next friendly while Roma will face Everton on the same day.
Despite limited appearances last season due to injury, Buendia reminded everyone of his talent during the Aston Villa vs Roma fixture. His vision, technical skills and energy stood out. He also had the most touches in the opposition box and ranked second for passes in the final third, just behind Youri Tielemans.
