Unai Emery’s side finally found their attacking spark as Aston Villa claimed a dramatic 3-2 victory over Club Brugge in Belgium to open their Champions League campaign with three crucial points.
Aston Villa have finally got their season up and running in Europe.
Unai Emery’s side produced a thrilling performance in Belgium on Tuesday night, beating Club Brugge 3-2 in a game packed with goals, chances and late drama.
John McGinn, Emiliano Buendía and Nicolas Jackson were on target for Villa, with the visitors building a 3-1 lead before the hosts pulled one back from the penalty spot.
Club Brugge pushed for an equaliser late on, but Villa held their nerve to secure a hugely important victory.
McGinn breaks the deadlock
Villa started brightly and Buendía almost opened the scoring early on, with his effort narrowly missing the post.
The breakthrough eventually arrived after 10 minutes.
Following a corner, John McGinn produced a superb controlled effort from outside the box, finding the bottom corner to give Villa the lead.
It was McGinn’s first goal of the season and, importantly, Villa’s first competitive goal since their 2-1 defeat to Paris Saint-Germain in the UEFA Super Cup nearly a month ago.
Club Brugge immediately looked to respond and Zion Suzuki was forced into action to deny Jan Virgili.
The Belgian side then found their equaliser in the 18th minute.
Hugo Vetlesen received the ball inside the penalty area and produced a precise finish into the corner to make it 1-1.
Buendía and Jackson put Villa in control
The response from Villa was excellent.
Just a few minutes after Brugge levelled, Emiliano Buendía restored Villa’s advantage, producing a clever finish from close range that lifted the ball over Yann Sommer.
Villa then continued to threaten and McGinn came close to adding another, forcing Sommer into an excellent save from distance.
The third goal arrived before half-time.
Nicolas Jackson reacted quickly as Sommer attempted to intervene, getting to the ball first before guiding it into an empty net.
Villa suddenly had a 3-1 advantage and went into the interval in a commanding position.
Brugge fight back after the break
McGinn continued to cause problems after the restart, breaking through the Brugge defence before firing over the crossbar.
But the hosts were given a route back into the match on the hour mark.
After a VAR review, referee Sandro Schärer awarded Club Brugge a penalty for handball against Aaron Wan-Bissaka inside the Villa box.
Nicolò Tresoldi made no mistake from the spot, reducing the deficit to 3-2.
The goal changed the mood of the match and Brugge began pushing forward in search of an equaliser.
Emery makes changes as Villa defend their lead
Emery responded with a triple substitution, taking off Wan-Bissaka, Buendía and Boubacar Kamara.
Lamare Bogarde, Ross Barkley and Alysson Edward were introduced as Villa looked to protect their advantage.
Brugge came agonisingly close to making it 3-3 when Tresoldi’s header struck the post before Suzuki managed to keep the follow-up effort out.
Emery later replaced Jackson with Tammy Abraham as Villa attempted to see out the game.
There was further drama late on when Bogarde saw a powerful effort cleared off the line by Joaquin Seys.
McGinn and João Gomes were also booked during a tense closing period.
Despite Brugge continuing to push, Villa managed to prevent the hosts from creating a clear-cut opportunity during the four minutes of added time.
A huge European result for Aston Villa
The final whistle confirmed a 3-2 Aston Villa victory and three extremely valuable points to begin their Champions League campaign.
After a difficult start domestically, Emery’s team finally produced the attacking quality needed to turn a promising performance into a result.
McGinn, Buendía and Jackson provided the goals, while Suzuki made several important interventions when Brugge threatened to come back into the game.
It was not a perfect night defensively, particularly after Villa allowed their three-goal advantage to become a one-goal margin.
But ultimately, Aston Villa got the result they desperately needed.
And after a difficult opening to the season, victory in Belgium could prove to be a major turning point for Emery and his squad.
The Aston Villa News BR verdict
This is exactly the kind of result Aston Villa needed.
The defensive issues will still need addressing, especially after conceding twice and allowing Club Brugge to put genuine pressure on the team late in the game.
But there were also plenty of positives.
McGinn looked influential, Buendía finally got on the scoresheet and Jackson showed his ability to punish defensive mistakes.
Most importantly, Villa now have a Champions League victory to build on.
After failing to win their opening three Premier League matches, getting three points in Belgium could provide the confidence this squad has been waiting for.
Now Emery needs to make sure this is not just one good night.
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