Villa seal absorbing 3-2 victory over Club Brugge

Aston Villa put their Premier League struggles behind them by opening their Champions League campaign with an absorbing 3-2 victory over Club Brugge. 

Having failed to score in three domestic outings this season, Unai Emery’s side had no such trouble in Belgium as John McGinn, Emiliano Buendia and Nicolas Jackson found the net, the latter scoring his first goal for the club.

Buendia curled wide from Villa’s first sight of goal, but they struck in the 11th minute. Pau Torres carried the ball to the edge of the box before laying it off for McGinn, who swept a first-time strike into the bottom-left corner. 

George Hemmings then passed up two chances to make it 2-0, forcing a save from Yann Sommer and prodding past the far post, before Hugo Vetlesen equalized in the 19th minute, slotting beyond Zion Suzuki from Jan Virgili’s cross.

Less than three minutes later Villa regained the lead as Buendia ghosted in and clipped Joao Gomes’ cutback past Sommer from close range. 

Jackson was involved with a clever backheel and got on the scoresheet himself two minutes before half-time. 

Sommer raced off his line to meet Torres’ long ball, but Jackson took it off his toe and rolled it into an empty net.

Brugge, who had gone close through Carlos Forbs, leveled just after the hour when Nicolo Tresoldi converted a penalty after Aaron Wan-Bissaka was adjudged to have handled. 

The hosts then piled on pressure. Suzuki kept out Vetlesen’s strike and was fortunate when Tresoldi’s glancing header bounced off the post into his arms. 

Villa remained a threat on the counter, and Brugge’s final chance was a weak Tresoldi header that Suzuki gathered easily.

Things were nervy after the penalty, but Villa richly deserved the points after carrying a constant attacking threat.

21 shots to Brugge’s 14 and dominated expected goals 3 to 1.46. Jackson’s goal proved the winner; he now has three goals and two assists in just three Champions League starts.