Aston Villa didn't turn up against Hamburg and conceded a 3-1 defeat at Hamburg for their last game of UEFA Cup group F. They finish third in the group and could face a tough draw for the knockout stage. Villa had already secured safe passage to the next round and Martin O'Neill rested his main players from this game. The results was disappointing, with Villa failing to assert themselves against a impressive Hamburg side. The Germans were two goals to the good within the first half hour, with goals from their frontmen Petric and Olic. They made the game safe in the second half before Nathan Delfouneso grabbed a consolation goal in the final minutes. To compound a dismal evening for Martin O'Neill's side, Steve Sidwell was sent off late on for a second bookable offence .  

Villa hardly had a touch of the ball in the opening stages as the Germans started on the front foot, confidently knocking the ball about the field. Martin Jol's side were clearly up for it and showed a lot of fluency. They got a great opener on 17 minutes when Petric got on the end of a long pass and volleyed it  past a hapless Brad Guzan in goal. Villa's back line, with Shorey back at left back, Young restored to his right back slot and Knight and Cuellar in the center, was at sixes and sevens for most of the game. Knight and Cuellar in particular just didn't click, as was the case in the defeat against Zilina, and Hamburg kept putting them on the back foot. The second goal came on the half hour when Olic beat Cuellar to a cross from Aogo. The hosts nearly bagged a third through Jansen, whose thirty-yard shot rattled the cross bar before half time time. Marlon Harewood was cutting a rather forlorn figure in the attack, with only Delfouneso for support on the left wing.

Villa showed little signs of improvement in the second half and duly conceded a third just short of the hour mark. Graig Gardner got injured when he collided with keeper Rost and the following action saw the ball find its way upfield to Olic who easily held off Cuellar to slot past Guzan. With the game out of sight, Villa slightly improved in the last hour half, due mainly to their hosts easing off the pedal somewhat. Delfouneso grabbed a late consolation goal, his second in this competition, when he deftly deflected a shot from Salifou with seven minutes left. Shortly after, Steve Sidwell received a second yellow card for tugging back Jarolim and was given his marching orders. Hamburg nearly made it 4-1 in injury time when Jansen had another shot that rattled the woodwork.

One can understand the rationale behind MON's decision to rest his main players for this game, which without being stakeless, didn't justify taking unwarranted risks. However, the Irish technician will be concerned by the display of some of his fringe players who just did rise up to the challenge of showing that they could bring something to the side. Players like Harewood, Knight and even Shorey didn't do themselves any favours in this game while Gardner and Delfouneso showed passion and eagerness to play themselves into the first team.