By Samindra Kunti in Brugge
March 5 – Brandon Mechele’s late own goal and a penalty from Marcio Asensio lifted Aston Villa to a 3-1 victory over Club Brugge, bringing Unai Emery’s team a step closer to the last eight of the Champions League.
The Belgian champions played with heart and soul but failed to capitalise on their chances and were punished in the last ten minutes of the match with Brandon Mechele diverting the ball into his own net in the 82nd minute and substitute Marco Asensio converting a spot kick six minutes later.
The match ended the way it had started: frantically.
Early on, Leon Bailey opened the score with a side-footed half-volley. His control was perfect to hand Aston Villa a dream start against a side that had proven its mettle in this season’s campaign, eliminating Atalanta in the playoffs.
If Bailey’s goal had looked somewhat slow-motion, the match’s start was anything but. Right-back Maxim De Cuyper, one of Brugge’s up-and-coming talents, equalised with a sweeping finish from inside the box following a cross from Christos Tzolis. It was all square again with not even 15 minutes on the board.
The tempo dropped, but Emiliano Martinez demonstrated why he is Villa’s number one with a superb save from Chemsdine Talbi’s low drive at the half-hour mark. Left unmarked in the box, the number 68 had thwacked the ball across the goalkeeper whose quick reaction prevented Brugge’s second. The hosts applied the pressure on Villa’s backline but couldn’t find the breakthrough.
The English were too slow and the Belgians were quite happy to allow Tyrone Mings on the ball with his limited passing range. They pressed Youri Tielemans and John McGinn in midfield to contain the Premier League side.
Emery was not happy with his charges and rang a quadruple change in the 64th minute, bringing on Asensio, Boubacar Kamara, Matty Cash and Jacob Ramsey. The match sprung to life again. Simon Mignolet did well to save Asensio’s shot from inside the box before Cash smashed the rebound over. At the other end, Mings cleared Hans Vanaken’s ball off the line.
Tzolis should have grabbed a second after Vanaken flicked through a pass, but he miscued his attempt. There was to be no repeat of their group-stage victory against Emery’s side. Instead, against the run of play, Brugge collapsed in the last ten minutes, an illustration of how unforgiving European club football can be.
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