Aston Villa secured their first victory of the season by beating Club Brugge 3-2 at the Jan Breydelstadion on 8 September, opening their Champions League league-phase campaign with an emphatic attacking display. The result ended a difficult domestic run in which Unai Emery’s team had lost to Brighton and Arsenal and drawn away at Hull City without finding the net from open play.
The breakthrough came when Pau Torres advanced unchallenged through the centre of the pitch and laid the ball to John McGinn, who curled a finish past Yann Sommer. Emi Buendia doubled the advantage from close range following strong work down the right flank from Joao Gomes, and Nicolas Jackson made it three before the interval by running onto a long pass to find an empty net.
Brugge were not without threat. Hugo Vitlesen pulled one back during the first half after being afforded space inside the penalty area, and he added a second goal later in the contest to set up a tense finish. Despite those defensive lapses, Villa held firm to take all three points back to the West Midlands.
Football365 highlighted the performance of teenager George Hemmings, who made his Champions League debut and created two clear opportunities early in the game. BBC Sport described the result as the end of Villa’s early-season goal drought, while Birmingham Live noted that the visitors had recent history at the same ground, having played there during both the league phase and knockout rounds of the 2024/25 competition.
The victory provides immediate momentum ahead of back-to-back home fixtures in the league phase next month against Fenerbahçe and Viking. After managing only one shot on target across their opening three Premier League matches, Villa’s attacking quality in Belgium offered a timely reminder of what this squad is capable of producing on the continent.
