Aston Villa came into the game with a perfect Champions League record but slipped on a banana skin in Belgium, as Club Brugge ran out deserved winners thanks to Hans Vanaken’s expertly-taken penalty, and Tyrone Mings’ awful mistake.
Just before the half-hour mark, Brugge worked an angle, and hit the post, before Emiliano Martinez was forced into an excellent save.
The Belgian side continued to ratchet up the pressure, and Villa were left hanging on going into the second half, with Martinez making no fewer than five saves in the opening 45 minutes.
Within the first five minutes off the second half, Mings conceded a penalty in bizarre circumstances; Martinez took a goal kick and passed the ball to the defender, who picked it up, seemingly unaware play had restarted. The referee awarded a spot-kick, and Hans Vanaken scored from 12 yards.
Villa did what they could to try to turn the game around, with Jhon Duran introduced from the bench, but Brugge were so effective defensively that they couldn’t work a legitimate opening, as their perfect record went up in smoke.
GOAL rates Aston Villa’s players from Jan Breydel Stadium…