Ollie Watkins: It feels great to be here and score so many goals for the club.

Ollie Watkins reached his 100th club appearance in Aston Villa's victory over Bologna, a moment he described as incredibly significant. The England striker scored just 16 minutes into the game at Villa Park, netting his 100th goal for the club.  

Unai Emery's team defeated the Italian side 4-0 in the second leg of the Europa League (7-1 on aggregate) to advance to the semi-finals. After the match, Ollie Watkins smiled proudly and reflected on his growth and achievements since wearing the red and blue jersey.  

In a post-match interview, Ollie Watkins said: "It feels amazing, it's a great milestone. I'm honored to be here and to score so many goals for the club. It's really special, a memorable achievement that I will cherish."  

“I still keep in touch with my old friends from Weston Supper-Meyer and Exeter City. I’ve come a long way. Now I choose to face it calmly and try to enjoy it all rather than putting too much pressure on myself. Now that I’ve come this far, I should cherish and enjoy the present moment.”  

After the match, the 30-year-old praised Aston Villa's quick start, noting that they took a 3-0 lead within the first 39 minutes and essentially secured the victory in the first half. Looking ahead to the upcoming semi-final against Nottingham Forest, Ollie Watkins stated that he will give his all to help the team finish the season successfully.  

Ollie Watkins added: “This is exactly what we needed. Last week against them, we started very slowly. The manager also mentioned that we didn’t even have a single shot or corner in the first 35 minutes. They put a lot of pressure on us then, but tonight it was completely different. We punished them very well, and I think the team played exceptionally well tonight.”  

“We take it one game at a time, trust the coach’s tactics, and make adjustments based on the game situation. Reaching the semi-finals is already a remarkable achievement. If someone had told me two or three years ago that we would be competing for Champions League qualification and reaching the Europa League semi-finals, I would have accepted without hesitation.”  

Image source: Internet/Aston Villa official website