Source: Telegraph
Aston Villa's Martin O'Neill disappointed by poor start to preseason
To rub it in, a sloppy goal conceded in the second half when Brad Friedel palmed a save into the path of Malaga's Fernando means that qualification to the semi-finals of the competition is out of their hands.
It is a real shame. A good showing here in Spain would go some way to wiping the memory of the side's nose-dive in the second half of last season, and playing against the likes of Real Madrid could only have been an excellent opportunity to gain European experience. But Villa will be flying home on Thursday unless Malaga lose their next match, against Atlante. O'Neill was unsurprisingly disappointed.
"In a game of very few opportunities, it was very disappointing to lose and as a result, qualification for the semi-finals is now out of our hands," O'Neill said. "I was expecting to win the game. I thought we would be capable of doing it. I would have liked to qualify for the next stage. It's not beyond us but it's now out of our hands."
At least Heskey's head injury is not thought to be serious and he should be fit for Atlante next week. The forward clashed heads with Malaga defender Weligton and was stretchered off after just six minutes. He will be assessed in the week but should be available for Wednesday night's game.
"Emile is feeling a lot better," O'Neill said. "He was a bit disorientated and we felt that, having come back late and only playing a few minutes of the game, it was best just to take him off and make a substitution at that time. But he is feeling much better now. We will have to monitor it each day but I don't think he would be ruled out at this stage."
