Aston Villa secured a vital 3-2 Champions League triumph over Club Brugge in Belgium this evening, with all three of their goals arriving before half-time.
John McGinn, Emiliano Buendía and Nicolas Jackson were on target as Unai Emery’s side claimed a hard-fought victory that could prove a turning point in what has been a difficult campaign so far.
The result was particularly welcome given Villa had failed to find the net in their previous three Premier League outings. Jackson opened his account for the club, while McGinn’s strike wrote him into the history books as Villa’s all-time leading European goalscorer with 12 goals.
Hugo Vetlesen and Nicolo Tresoldi replied for the Belgian hosts, but it was not enough to deny Villa three points they desperately needed.
John McGinn was named man of the match after his stellar display
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Buendía had the first opportunity of the match but curled his effort wide. Villa’s goalkeeper Zion Suzuki was then called into action to keep out a Jan Virgili attempt.
The breakthrough arrived on 10 minutes when McGinn bent a beautiful strike from the edge of the box into the bottom corner — Villa’s first competitive goal in almost a month, dating back to their UEFA Super Cup defeat.
Brugge’s Yann Sommer then gifted Villa a free-kick after comically handling the ball outside his area, though Buendía’s set piece struck the wall.
The hosts drew level in the 18th minute through Vetlesen’s composed finish from central areas. Buendía restored Villa’s lead shortly afterwards, deftly chipping Sommer from close range.
Jackson then rounded off a dominant first-half display, beating the advancing Sommer before slotting into an unguarded goal.
McGinn remained the dominant figure after the interval, surging past Brugge defenders only to fire over the crossbar.
Emi Buendia scored Aston Villa’s second just moments after Club Brugge equalised
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The contest tightened on the hour when referee Sandro Schärer, following an on-field VAR review, awarded the hosts a penalty for Wan-Bissaka’s handball inside the area. Tresoldi dispatched the spot-kick confidently to make it 3-2.
Villa were then forced to endure an anxious final half-hour. Tresoldi came agonisingly close to levelling when his header cannoned off the post, with Suzuki gathering the rebound.
Emery introduced Lamare Bogarde, Ross Barkley and Alysson Edward as Villa sought to shore things up. Bogarde nearly added a fourth, but Joaquin Seys cleared his fierce shot off the line.
Brugge mustered nothing of note during four minutes of added time, and Villa held firm.
McGinn’s 10th-minute opener was his 12th goal in European competition for the club, surpassing all previous Villa players in continental tournaments. The Scottish captain, now the longest-serving member of the squad, has become an increasingly important figure during a period of significant upheaval.
Six players who started last season’s Europa League final victory in Turkey have since departed, most notably Morgan Rogers, who joined Chelsea in a £117m deal.
Emery has brought in 10 new faces and urged supporters to show patience as the rebuilding process takes shape. Villa had drawn a blank in three consecutive league fixtures before travelling to Belgium, with their last competitive goal coming in the Super Cup loss nearly four weeks ago.
