Aston Villa Beat Club Brugge 3-1 for First Win of Season

Aston Villa earned their first victory of the season with a 3-1 Champions League win away to Club Brugge on Tuesday. John McGinn, Emi Buendia and Nicolas Jackson scored for Unai Emery’s side before Nicolo Tresoldi converted a penalty for the hosts, according to BBC Sport’s report from Belgium.

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Villa established control during a busy first half in which they produced 14 attempts. McGinn opened the scoring and, with his 12th goal in European competition for the club, became Villa’s outright record European scorer. Buendia then struck his first goal since the Europa League final in May, while Jackson added his first for Villa to put the visitors in a commanding position at the interval.

Club Brugge made the contest less comfortable after the break. Tresoldi scored from the spot following a handball by Aaron Wan-Bissaka, then hit the post as the home side pressed during the final half-hour. Villa survived that spell to secure three points after an opening to the campaign that had included a goalless Premier League draw at Hull City on Saturday.

BBC Sport reported that Villa recorded nine shots on target in Bruges, a sharp rise after managing only one across their first three Premier League matches. George Hemmings also became Villa’s first teenage starter in the Champions League or European Cup for 43 years and had opportunities to extend the lead during the visitors’ strong first half.

The result delivered an early return for several members of Villa’s reshaped squad. Emery is integrating 10 new players, and Jackson’s goal came on his third start following a club-record £65 million transfer from Chelsea. The Senegal international spent last season on loan at Bayern Munich and previously worked under Emery at Villarreal.

McGinn told UEFA that the match was an important test for Villa’s new players and emphasized the resilience required as Brugge applied pressure. Emery similarly highlighted the team’s ability to withstand a difficult period, telling his post-match news conference that the performance represented an important step forward. Villa’s next match is at home to Nottingham Forest in the Premier League on Saturday, followed by a Carabao Cup trip to Coventry and a league visit to Tottenham.