Aston Villa beat Club Brugge 3-2 in the UEFA Champions League.

The match took place on 8 September 2026 at the Jan Breydel Stadium in Brugge, forming part of the UEFA Champions League League Phase. Both sides entered the game seeking valuable points, and the atmosphere was charged as the fixture unfolded under the evening lights.

How it unfolded

The opening stages saw an early booking when Ian Maatsen of Aston Villa was shown a yellow card in the ninth minute. Just two minutes later, Villa took the lead: John McGinn, assisted by Pau Torres, fired a left-footed shot from the right side of the box into the bottom left corner to make it 1-0. Club Brugge responded swiftly, equalising in the 19th minute when Hugo Vetlesen, with a pass from Jan Virgili, struck a left-footed shot from the centre of the box into the bottom right corner.

Aston Villa regained the advantage three minutes after the restart, as Emiliano Buendía converted a right-footed strike from the centre of the box, set up by João Gomes, to put Villa 2-1 ahead. The momentum continued for the visitors, and just before the half-hour mark Nicolas Jackson, again assisted by Pau Torres after a fast break, placed a right-footed shot from the centre of the box into the net, extending the lead to 3-1.

The second half began with Club Brugge’s Hans Vanaken receiving a yellow card in the 48th minute. The home side pulled a goal back in the 61st minute when Nicolò Tresoldi calmly converted a penalty with a right-footed shot to the bottom right corner, narrowing the deficit to 3-2. A minute later Jan Virgili was booked for a bad foul. The game’s discipline tightened further when John McGinn was shown a yellow card for a bad foul in the 78th minute. In the closing stages, both Romeo Vermant of Club Brugge and João Gomes of Aston Villa received yellow cards for bad fouls in the 89th minute, capping a tightly contested encounter.

Standout performers

Aston Villa’s John McGinn not only opened the scoring but also contributed an assist for Pau Torres, who was directly involved in two of Villa’s goals. Emiliano Buendía added a goal, set up by João Gomes, while Nicolas Jackson finished a swift counter-attack, again benefiting from Torres’s vision. For Club Brugge, Hugo Vetlesen’s equaliser, created by Jan Virgili, and Nicolò Tresoldi’s composure from the penalty spot highlighted their attacking threat despite the loss.

Match facts

  • Final score: Club Brugge 2-3 Aston Villa
  • Scorers:
    • 11' John McGinn (Aston Villa) – assist Pau Torres
    • 19' Hugo Vetlesen (Club Brugge) – assist Jan Virgili
    • 22' Emiliano Buendía (Aston Villa) – assist João Gomes
    • 43' Nicolas Jackson (Aston Villa) – assist Pau Torres
    • 61' Nicolo Tresoldi (Club Brugge) – penalty
  • Bookings:
    • 9' Ian Maatsen (Aston Villa) – yellow card
    • 48' Hans Vanaken (Club Brugge) – yellow card
    • 62' Jan Virgili (Club Brugge) – yellow card (bad foul)
    • 78' John McGinn (Aston Villa) – yellow card (bad foul)
    • 89' Romeo Vermant (Club Brugge) – yellow card (bad foul)
    • 89' João Gomes (Aston Villa) – yellow card (bad foul)
  • Venue: Jan Breydel Stadium, Brugge

What it means

Aston Villa’s 3-2 win secures three points in the Champions League League Phase, boosting their campaign, while Club Brugge returns home with a narrow defeat, leaving them to chase points in their remaining fixtures.