PARIS, Nov 7 — Aston Villa beat Maccabi Tel Aviv 2-0 in the Europa League on Thursday in a match dominated by tight security measures in Birmingham with travelling fans barred over safety concerns.
Some 700 police were positioned around the stadium as pro-Palestinian and pro-Israel protesters held separate demonstrations outside Villa Park in the run-up to kick-off.
The protests passed largely peacefully, with police saying they made six arrests for offences ranging from racial aggravation to failing to comply with a dispersal order.
Villa announced last month that no Maccabi fans would be allowed at the match following a police risk assessment.
The decision sparked criticism, including from British Prime Minister Keir Starmer who set about trying to reverse the move, but the Israeli club later announced it would decline tickets for its fans anyway, citing safety concerns.
On Thursday, some 200 pro-Palestinian demonstrators gathered at one side of the stadium, chanting “Free Palestine” and displaying banners calling for a boycott of Israel and its exclusion from international football.
A few dozen pro-Israel protesters stood at the other side waving Israeli flags and holding posters that read “Keep anti-Semitism out of football”.
On the pitch, Villa took the lead one minute into first-half added time through Ian Maatsen.
Donyell Malen doubled the lead shortly before the hour as Unai Emery’s side moved to nine points after four matches.
“(It was a) good evening,” Villa manager Emery told TNT Sports.
“Focus and respecting the competition and the teams. We were playing solidly and playing seriously.”
Elsewhere, Roma won 2-0 at Rangers thanks to first-half strikes by Matias Soule and Lorenzo Pellegrini.
The result moved Gian Piero Gasperini’s side up to 18th, while troubled Rangers lounge at the foot of the standings.
In a bad night for Glasgow clubs, Scottish champions Celtic went down 3-1 at Midtjylland.
With four wins in as many outings, the Danes top the league phase standings with a perfect 12 points.
Sean Dyche’s second European match in charge at Nottingham Forest finished in a goalless stalemate at Austria’s Sturm Graz, with Morgan Gibbs-White missing a 35th-minute spot-kick for the visitors.
The Premier League club sit one point above the elimination places.
Former Manchester United winger Antony netted his 15th goal for Real Betis since joining on loan in January, before making his move permanent in the summer, as the Andalusians beat Lyon 2-0.
Two other French Ligue 1 clubs Nice and Lille lost as well. Nice went down 3-1 at home to second-placed German team Freiburg. Bruno Genesio’s Lille fell 1-0 at Red Star Belgrade.
Celta Vigo won 3-0 away to Dinamo Zagreb, while Porto drew 1-1 at 10-man Utrecht of the Netherlands.
Belgium’s Genk edged a seven-goal thriller at Braga 4-3 and two late strikes by Bilal El Khannouss and Deniz Undav handed Stuttgart a 2-0 victory over Feyenoord.
