Aston Villa produced a second half-time screen to mitigate Club Brugge with a 3-0 victory at Villa Park, sealing its place in the quarter-final of the 6-1 Champions League on the total.
A replacement for replacement Marco Asensio and a goal from Ian Maattsen enabled the UAI Emery team to progress with ease, despite slow performance in the first half.
Despite their 3-1 deficit from the first leg, Club Brugge started strongly, controlling possession and putting villa under early pressure.
Hans Vanaken got closer to a header, while Chemsdine Talbi forced Emiliano Martinez in a routine backup.
The Belgian champions seemed to be confident, but their task was made much more difficult in the 16th minute when the right back Kyriani Sabbe was shown a right red box for having removed Marcus Rashford while he was heading for the goal.
Even with an advantage, Villa had trouble winning. Their best chance of the first half came when the free kick of your Tielemans was distant by Simon Mignolet.
Brugge, although he was ten men, dominated possession and the teams entered the level of rupture.
In the next round 🤩 #Ucl pic.twitter.com/qfrux7ajjq
– Aston Villa (@AvfCofficial) March 12, 2025
Emery responded with half-time attacking changes, introducing Marco Asensio and Leon Bailey, and the impact was almost immediate.
In the five minutes following the restart, Villa broke the dead end. John McGinn spread the ball in Bailey, who square for Asensio, and the Spaniard curled the ball in the roof of the net to do it 4-1 on aggregate.
Villa has doubled their lead seven minutes later. Rashford and Morgan Rogers combined to feed Ian Maathsen, whose finish nearby took a deviation off the coast of Brandon Mechele and nestled at the back of the net.
It was the first goal of the Dutch rear for the club, and indeed ended all the hopes of a bruge return.
Asensio continued its dream impact on the bench, entering its second at night in the 61st minute. Rashford ran on the left flank before reducing the Loal Madrid Loreee, who coldly released his seventh goal in eight games for villa at home.
At 3-0 at night and 6-1 on the aggregates, Villa was firmly under cruising regulator.
Villa almost added a fourth when Axel Disasi went to short distance, while Rashford and Jacob Ramsey both tested Mignolet late.
Brugge, visibly deflated, marked little in response, and their valiant efforts in the competition ended while Villa saw the last minutes comfortably.
