For the second leg of the UEFA Champions League Round of 16, Club Brugge traveled to Birmingham in search of an upset against Aston Villa. The first half ended goalless, but Club Brugge were forced to play with ten men after just 15 minutes following a red card for Sabbe. In the second half however, the home side made the difference via an Ascensio brace and Maatsen goal, to end Club's memorable European campaign.
Club secured a 1-3 victory over Cercle in the city derby last Sunday. Coach Hayen had already selected his strongest starting XI for that match and he made no changes for the match against Aston Villa. He stuck with the same line-up that impressed in the first leg, despite the eventual defeat. As for the hosts, there were a few changes compared to the opening match at Jan Breydel. Cash and Maatsen came into the side in place of Disasi and Digne, while Bailey was dropped to the bench in favour of Kamara.
It was Club Brugge who took control of the ball in the early stages, moving it around well. While the possession didn’t immediately create any clear chances, it did show the visitors' intentions. After about five minutes, the first attempt on goal came from a Brugge player, Sabbe. He intercepted a poor pass from Cash and seized the opportunity, but his shot went high over Martínez's goal. A few minutes later, Vanaken posed a greater threat. Jashari curled in a cross to the captain, who headed it just wide. Blue and Black continued to apply high pressure on Villa’s defence, leading to a third chance in the opening ten minutes. Onyedika had the time and space to aim for the far corner from outside the box, but Martínez was helped by one of his defenders to snuff out the danger.
Aston Villa briefly threatened through Rashford after a mistake from Talbi, but Mignolet was alert and quicker to the ball. However, a few minutes later, the task for Club Brugge became much more difficult. Martínez sent a long ball forward for Rashford, who used his pace to get past Sabbe. The young right-back was forced to pull him down, and the decision was harsh: a straight red and Sabbe was sent off early. Fortunately, Mignolet was alert to deny Tielemans' free-kick that followed.
Despite the numerical disadvantage, Club Brugge managed to maintain good combination play and Aston Villa had no answer to it. Just after the half-hour mark, this even resulted in a dangerous moment through Talbi. The quick winger cut inside and went for a shot with his left foot. His effort was deflected and ultimately didn’t pose much trouble for Martínez. A few minutes later, Villa had their own attempt, with Maatsen unleashing a shot from outside the box, but it was off target.
Blauw-Zwart had to remain vigilant, however, not to lose possession too easily and allow Villa to exploit quick counter-attacks. The Cuyper gave the ball away a bit too easily, but luckily, Watkins made the wrong decision by attempting to lob Mignolet from distance. The effort failed, and Club's goalkeeper was able to make a comfortable save. Just before the break, The Villans had their best chance when Mings found Rashford inside the box. The forward was in a great position to strike, but fortunately, he fired into the side-netting. The teams went into the break with a goalless draw, and a numerical advantage for Aston Villa.
The second half began with two changes for Aston Villa. Kamara and Watkins remained in the dressing room, replaced by Bailey and Asensio. The hosts quickly pushed forward, and within minutes, Mings had a chance to open the scoring. The central defender fired from close range, but Mignolet reacted well to keep the score level. However, this only delayed the inevitable, as Villa struck shortly after. Bailey played a delicate ball through to Asensio in the box, and the Spaniard made no mistake, firing home to make it 1-0.
At this point, the game was moving too fast for Club. Just minutes after the opener, Villa came close to doubling their lead. Tielemans played a beautiful through ball for Asensio, who found himself one-on-one with Mignolet. Fortunately for Club, his shot hit the post and then fell into Mignolet's hands. The second goal did eventually come soon after, this time via Maatsen, who was in the right place to tap in from close range after a quick exchange between Rashford and Rogers.
Coach Hayen responded with a quadruple substitution, but Club Brugge still had to face more pressure. At the hour mark, Rashford broke away with pace and laid the ball off perfectly for Asensio, who made no mistake, calmly finishing for his second of the night to make it 3-0.
Meanwhile, Coach Emery had also made some changes, but Aston Villa continued to show their quick passing game in the second half. Cash and Rashford tried their luck from distance with dangerous strikes, but Mignolet was determined to avoid conceding a fourth goal. He showed his quality with a brilliant save to deny Tielemans’ free kick from outside the box, keeping it out of the far corner. Villa kept getting closer to that fourth goal, but even Disasi couldn't control the ball when he deflected a sharp cross with his shoulder from close range.
In the end, no additional time was added, as the match had already been decided. The scoreline remained unchanged, and thus, Club's remarkable European campaign came to an end in the Round of 16 of the UEFA Champions League. Now, all attention turns to the league and the cup.
UEFA Champions League - 1/8th finals (2nd leg)
Attendance: 42.785 – Villa Park
Referee: Daniel Siebert (Ger)
Aston Villa: Emiliano Martínez – Matty Cash (73’ Axel Disasi), Ezri Konsa, Tyrone Mings (66’ Pau Torres), Ian Maatsen – Boubacar Kamara (46’ Leon Bailey), Youri Tielemans, John McGinn, Morgan Rogers (66’ Jacob Ramsey) , Marcus Rashford – Ollie Watkins (46’ Marco Asensio).
Bench: Robin Olsen, Oliwier Zych, Axel Disasi, Lucas Digne, Pau Torres, Marco Asensio, Amadou Onana, Lamare Bogarde, Leon Bailey, Jacob Ramsey.
Coach: Unai Emery.
Club Brugge: Simon Mignolet – Kyriani Sabbe, Joel Ordóñez (58’ Zaid Romero), Brandon Mechele, Maxim De Cuyper – Raphael Onyedika, Ardon Jashari (58’ Casper Nielsen), Hans Vanaken – Chemsdine Talbi (58’ Michał Skóraś), Ferran Jutglà (58’ Gustaf Nilsson), Christos Tzolis (66’ Hugo Siquet).
Bench: Nordin Jackers, Zaid Romero, Hugo Siquet, Jorne Spileers, Hugo Vetlesen, Casper Nielsen, Michał Skóraś, Romeo Vermant, Gustaf Nilsson, Shandre Campbell.
Coach: Nicky Hayen.
Yellow cards: Vanaken
Red cards: Sabbe
Goals: 50’ Asensio (1-0), 57’ Maatsen (2-0), 61’ Asensio (3-0)