Marco Asensio starred as Aston Villa secured a dominant 3-0 win over 10-man Club Brugge on Wednesday to book a Champions League quarter-final clash with Paris Saint-Germain (PSG).
The Spanish forward came off the bench to strike twice in the second half at Villa Park, taking his goal tally to seven since joining on loan from PSG in January.
Brugge played most of the match with 10 men after Kyriani Sabbe was sent off for a professional foul on Marcus Rashford early in the first half. Asensio ensured Villa capitalized, with Ian Maatsen also finding the net in between his brace.
Villa’s 6-1 aggregate victory marks their first appearance in the Champions League quarter-finals in 42 years, with club patron Prince William watching on from the stands.
Villa’s return to Europe’s elite competition
The last time Villa reached this stage of Europe’s elite competition was in the 1982/83 season when they were eliminated by Juventus, a year after winning the European Cup. Now, under Unai Emery, the Premier League side is the first debutant team to reach the Champions League quarter-finals since Atalanta in 2019-20.
Victories over Bayern Munich, RB Leipzig, and Celtic have highlighted their remarkable run, and now PSG awaits after the Ligue 1 giants edged Liverpool on penalties on Tuesday.
A reunion with PSG for Asensio and Emery
Facing PSG in April will have extra significance for both Asensio and Emery. The forward is on loan from the French club, while Emery returns to the club where he won the Ligue 1 title in 2018 but struggled in the Champions League.
This is only the second time Emery has guided a team beyond the Champions League last 16, having led Villarreal to the semi-finals in 2022.
Villa overcame nervy start
As fireworks lit up Villa Park before kick-off, a huge flag bearing the club’s motto, “Prepared,” was unfurled in the Holte End.
However, Villa started sluggishly, with Brugge captain Hans Vanaken heading just wide and Raphael Onyedika seeing his goal-bound effort blocked by Ezri Konsa.
Despite losing 1-0 in Brugge during the league phase and needing late goals in the first leg, Villa fans need not have worried. The turning point came when Rashford’s blistering pace forced Sabbe into a last-man foul, reducing Brugge to 10 men and shifting momentum firmly in Villa’s favour.
Now, with confidence soaring, Villans look ahead to their biggest European tie in decades against PSG in the quarter-finals.
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