Club Brugge 2-3 Aston Villa: result and report

Report

Aston Villa won 3-2 away to Club Brugge. The scoreline reflects who made the better chances, even though Club Brugge had far more of the ball.

How the goals came

John McGinn put Aston Villa ahead after 11 minutes from a Pau Torres pass. Hugo Vetlesen levelled on 19 minutes, set up by Jan Virgili Tenas. The equaliser lasted only three minutes, though, because Emiliano Buendía restored the lead from João Gomes's assist. Nicolas Jackson made it 3-1 on 43 minutes, with Pau Torres providing his second assist of the night.

Club Brugge's way back came from the spot. Nicolò Tresoldi scored a penalty on 61 minutes, which left almost half an hour to find an equaliser. They never found it, so Aston Villa's first-half goals proved enough.

Aston Villa: less of the ball, better chances

Club Brugge had 64% possession and 73 dangerous attacks to Aston Villa's 29. Despite that, Aston Villa did far more with their attacks. They finished with 2.40 xG to 1.65, 13 shots to eight and nine on target to seven. They also created four big chances to two and made 16 key passes to nine.

That points to a side who were sharper in the final third, not one simply clinging on. Aston Villa could have won more comfortably, because they missed two of those big chances. McGinn, who scored the opening goal, was rated the best player on the pitch.

Club Brugge: pressure without enough clear openings

Club Brugge still had their moments. They had the higher pressure across the match and hit the woodwork once, so the final half-hour was not comfortable for Aston Villa. However, eight shots worth 1.65 xG suggest their territory rarely turned into the clearest chances.