Fixtures
- Club Brugge Vs. Aston Villa – Wed, Nov 6th 2024, 17:45
Club Brugge handed Aston Villa a first defeat in this season’s UEFA Champions League on Wednesday night.
Manager Unai Emery watched on as his side lost 1-0 to the Belgian champions, ending their three-game winning streak to begin the campaign.
The decisive moment arrived early in the second half when Hans Vanaken scored from the spot following the award of a controversial penalty.
“We played a very good first half and created chances to score but we didn’t score,” Emery reflected.
“We conceded a couple of chances but we were more or less controlling the match and we knew our way.
“In the second half, the mistake changed everything because one team like them, playing at home, they’re defensively strong, very focused and playing 100% in their idea to stop us and play in transition. They were better than us.
“The key was the first half and then the mistake we made.”
Villa remain in a strong position in the league phase table despite the defeat, sitting in the top eight at the halfway stage.
After a perfect start to the Champions League, the match was a reminder of how competitive Europe’s top competition is.
Emery said: “We learned last year that to play away in Europe is always difficult.
“Playing against a team like Brugge in the Champions League, we can be favourite for eight matches in the table but for one match, playing here against them, we were not favourites.
“They showed us their capacity to beat us and they did it.”
