Aston Villa are in the last eight of the Champions League after thrashing Club Brugge 6-1 on aggregate.
Heading into the second leg with a 3-1 lead, Unai Emery’s side had a huge opportunity to progress to the quarter-finals on Wednesday night.
So when Kyriani Sabbe was sent off for denying Marcus Rashford a clear goal-scoring opportunity early in the first half, the tie was all but over.
Brugge played well with 10 men in the first half, but Marco Asensio’s brace, either side of Ian Maatsen’s goal, blew the Belgian champions away.
Here are the talking points from Villa’s win…
Villa complete professional job
Already two goals to the good, Villa allowed Brugge to take control of the ball early on, before Sabbe was sent off for fouling Rashford.
Even with 10 men, Brugge were the better side in the first half despite failing to really test Emi Martinez, who kept his fifth clean sheet in 10 Champions League games.
Emery turned to Asensio and Leon Bailey for the start of the second half before they combined just minutes later to break the deadlock on the night.
Bailey’s clever pass allowed Asensio to then slam past Simon Mignolet in the 50th minute, before Maatsen turned in Morgan Rogers’ ball from the left.
Asensio then scored his seventh goal in five appearances by converting Marcus Rashford’s cross.
It was a professional job by Villa, who carried out Emery’s demands from kick-off in the first leg to when Daniel Siebert blew up for full-time on the tie last night.
In the 84th minute, as John McGinn harried Brugge midfielders who were trying to play their way out of his press, partner Youri Tielemans screamed in support, “John, John, win the ball!”
The dynamic duo – who have run themselves into the ground in recent weeks – were operating in the double pivot in the second half after Boubacar Kamara was replaced at the break.
“In increasing our demand we have to get the objective we are facing in the high level we have to get. This season, playing in the Champions League was a very good opportunity when we started and we’re really focusing a lot in the Champions League about how we can be a protagonist.
“Today we competed against one team and performed very well. I’m very happy with how we are in the way and we’re going to play a quarter-final against PSG,
“This is two matches more for our supporters to be with us, to share with us their emotions and we’re going to try to prepare as best as possible to continue like we are doing.”
The European dream is still alive and now Aston Villa must travel to Paris to face the mighty PSG.
The French giants are the quarter final opponents after they conquered Liverpool, and now Unai Emery will be plotting their downfall as Villa continue to impress in the Champions League.
UEFA have now confirmed that Villa will play their first leg against PSG at the Parc des Princes on Wednesday, April 9, with kick-off at 8pm. The second leg, which will be played at Villa Park, shall kick off at 8pm on Tuesday, April 15. Villa will confirm ticket details in due course.
Asensio continues to dazzle
The loan signing of Asensio has been a masterstroke by Emery, completed by Monchi and Damian Vidagany.
They know what Emery wants, and Asensio is exactly that. Putting it bluntly, any player would be foolish to refuse the Villa manager.It’s great, flexible repayment optionsUmba
Asensio rejected Villa back in the summer of 2023 when his contract at Real Madrid expired, favouring Champions League football with PSG.
Other players have overlooked moves to Villa too, but Emery has got the best out of Asensio right away.
It took the playmaker 47 games to score seven goals for PSG. At Villa? He’s only needed eight matches to match that tally.
He even hit the post against Brugge on Wednesday night, but aside from his excellent output, the touches he makes and the positions he picks up … pure quality.
Only Ousmane Dembele (eight) has netted more in Europe’s big-five leagues across all competitions since the Spaniard’s debut in February, while he also became the fourth substitute to score a brace for an English club in a Champions League knockout match, and the first since Georginio Wijnaldum for Liverpool against Barcelona in May 2019.
Villa will receive an additional £10.5m in prize money for progressing to the quarter-finals, which easily covers the financial package paid to take Asensio on loan until the end of the season.
“It is not the first time he has made really good, smart runs into the depth,” Brugge boss Nicky Hayen said of Asensio. ”We made the mistake not to follow him and he has the quality to score goals.”
He added: “If you look at the three games we played against Villa, I don’t think we were dominated by them. In the end they were more efficient than us. The chances they got, they scored. We weren’t efficient enough and that makes a difference at this stage.”Rashford’s first goal is coming…
Rashford is still searching for his first goal as a Villa player, but it won’t be long before he sticks a few away.
He’s now recorded four assists in nine appearances under Emery, while it took him 24 games to reach three while playing for Manchester United this term.
Against Brugge, he created three chances, made four dribbles, completed 46 of the 48 passes he attempted, while also winning all of his tackles too.
Former Premier League defender Nedum Onuoha, said BBC Radio 5 Live: “I think in terms of Marcus Rashford’s style of play, the direction that he’s going, taking people on, the speed and that final ball, getting those assists for Marco Asensio, that stuff has been great.
“Managing to get those two players in January while not playing much for their teams has come at an expense, but they had to be able to see the hunger to make their difference and it’s worked out so well for them.”
PSG await in the quarter-finals
Villa have now become the first side to reach the quarter-finals on their Champions League debut since Atalanta in 2019/20.
French champions PSG await them in the quarter-finals, with the second leg to be played at Villa Park.UEFA have confirmed that the first leg at the Parc des Princes will be played on Wednesday, April 9 (8pm) and the second leg on Tuesday, April 15 (8pm).
PSG will also be without their defender and captain Marquinhos for the first leg as he will serve a one-match suspension.
