Club Brugge 2-3 Aston Villa: a fast start survives a late penalty scare
John McGinn, Emiliano Buendía and Nicolas Jackson had Aston Villa 3-0 up inside 80 minutes at Jan Breydel Stadium, and although Hugo Vetlesen and a Nicolò Tresoldi penalty pulled Club Brugge back to 3-2, Villa held on to open their Champions League league phase with a win.
Aston Villa returned to the Champions League for the first time in over four decades and made the kind of start that suggested the occasion held no fear. John McGinn opened the scoring inside 11 minutes at Jan Breydel Stadium, Emiliano Buendía doubled it before the half-hour, and Nicolas Jackson made it 3-0 with 10 minutes to go. Only then did the night get uncomfortable.
Hugo Vetlesen pulled one back for Club Brugge in the 19th minute of a different phase of the game — the goal came earlier in the passage of play than Villa's cushion suggested, a reminder the hosts were never as far out of it as the scoreline briefly implied. Nicolò Tresoldi converted a penalty in the 61st minute to make it 3-2, and Jan Breydel Stadium spent the closing stages believing an unlikely point, or more, was still there to be taken. Villa's defence held, and Unai Emery's side left Belgium with a 3-2 away win and a maximum three points from their opening league-phase fixture.
A first Champions League night in a generation
The scoreline matters less than the occasion for Aston Villa, a club that lifted the European Cup in 1982 and then spent 41 years outside Europe's top competition before last season's qualification finally ended the wait. A winning start on the road, away to a Club Brugge side that has made the league phase a habit in recent seasons, is exactly the kind of result that turns a nostalgic return into a competitive one.
Match facts
- 11' — John McGinn (Aston Villa)
- 19' — Hugo Vetlesen (Club Brugge)
- 22' — Emiliano Buendía (Aston Villa)
- 61' — Nicolò Tresoldi, penalty (Club Brugge)
- 80' — Nicolas Jackson (Aston Villa)
- Jan Breydel Stadium, Bruges — Champions League league phase, matchday 1, Tuesday 8 September 2026
What's next
Aston Villa take three points from a ground that will not be an easy trip for anyone in this season's league phase, and move on to the rest of a schedule built to test a squad still adjusting to continental football on a weekly basis. Club Brugge, who out-scored their half of a five-goal match after going 3-0 down, will regroup for the trip ahead knowing the fight-back at least offers something to build on.
Picks for you
Advertising. Affiliate links — we may earn a commission on your purchases, at no extra cost to you. It does not influence our editorial coverage.
Keep reading
International FootballFiorentina 1-1 Napoli: Jiménez cancels out Gilmour to deny Allegri's side at the Franchi
Billy Gilmour put Napoli ahead early at the Franchi, but Álex Jiménez's second-half equaliser earned Fiorentina a 1-1 draw despite Napoli dominating possession and shots on target.
International FootballBayer Leverkusen beat RB Leipzig 2-0 as Patrik Schick's scoring streak continues
Miguel Gutiérrez set up Patrik Schick's opener and then scored the second himself, giving Bayer Leverkusen a convincing 2-0 win over RB Leipzig at the BayArena.
International FootballNewly promoted Schalke and Elversberg play out 0-0 draw at the Veltins-Arena
FC Schalke 04 and SV Elversberg, both back in the Bundesliga this season, shared a goalless draw in Gelsenkirchen that left neither side's unbeaten home form dented.