If you squinted hard enough beyond the brutalist boundaries of this stadium, the redemption arc was visible. For Aston Villa and Tyrone Mings this was a return to the scene of the crime.
It was here in November where Mings gifted Club Brugge a penalty after inexplicably picking up the ball from a goal-kick, but this time his biggest intervention was an improbable goalline clearance to prevent a Hans Vanaken header from nestling in Emiliano Martínez’s net and the Belgian champions from assuming control. The cold reality is Villa toiled despite a dream start on their return to Belgium but it is hard to argue a two-goal advantage is not a significant buffer before the second leg next Wednesday.
Written by Ben Fisher at the Jan Breydel Stadium
This news first appeared on https://www.theguardian.com/football/2025/mar/04/club-brugge-aston-villa-champions-league-match-report under the title “Aston Villa close on quarter-finals after Mings gets his own back on Club Brugge”. Bolchha Nepal is not responsible or affiliated towards the opinion expressed in this news article.
