Aston Villa midfielder remains confident despite costly penalty miss in 4-2 loss to Olympiacos.
Douglas Luiz has insisted he will continue to take penalties for Aston Villa, despite his crucial miss in their Europa League Conference semi-final first-leg defeat to Olympiacos. The Brazilian midfielder’s spot-kick, which came late in the match, hit the post and denied Villa the chance to reduce the deficit, with the team ultimately losing 4-2 at Villa Park on Thursday night.
Villa’s hopes of reaching their first European final since 1982 are now in serious doubt, but Luiz remains confident in his abilities. Reflecting on his miss, the 25-year-old said, “Of course, I am still confident. This is the first penalty I have missed, but that is football. I have scored six penalties this season, and I will keep taking them if needed.”
Luiz’s night was further marred by a handball that led to a penalty for Olympiacos. Despite the setback, he acknowledged the need to improve. “I wasn’t happy with my handball. When I saw the picture, it was a clear penalty, and then I missed the penalty as well. I am not happy today, but I need to get my head up and focus, especially on the Premier League,” he added.
Villa’s defensive performance was below their usual standards, but Luiz was optimistic about their attacking play. “We played really well and created chances, which gives me hope for the second leg. The game is not over. We can still come back strong,” he said. Luiz emphasized the importance of going into the return leg with a positive mindset: “We didn’t deserve to lose 4-2, but we have to try to change the result next week. We need to keep a clean sheet and score two goals.”
While the loss was a disappointing one for Villa on the pitch, there was some good news off it, as Tottenham’s defeat to Chelsea pushed Villa closer to securing a spot in the Champions League next season. Luiz was encouraged by the result, saying, “Today is good because Tottenham lost, so we are happy there. Now, we need to train more and focus on our next games.”
Aston Villa could move into the top four of the Premier League if they beat Brighton on Sunday and Tottenham lose to Liverpool.
