Aston Villa coasted into the quarter-finals of the Champions League with a comfortable victory over 10-man Club Brugge as Marco Asensio struck twice to set up a clash with his parent club Paris Saint-Germain.
Club Brugge had a mountain to climb after last week’s 3-1 defeat in Belgium and the task became even harder when right back Kyriani Sabbe was shown a straight red card in the 15th minute for fouling Marcus Rashford on the edge of the box.
Sabbe was the last man and was sent off for denying a goalscoring opportunity - but it did not take until the second half for Aston Villa to press home their advantage.
Asensio and Leon Bailey came off the bench and combined as the Spaniard continued his excellent form to hook a finish into the top corner. Ian Maatsen added another five minutes later, with Asensio then scoring his second from Rashford’s pass.
Villa played the rest of the game on cruise control and can now look forward to a quarter-final clash with Liverpool’s conquerors PSG, in a match that will see Unai Emery face his former club and Asensio play against the team he’s on loan from.
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Marco Asensio speaks after Aston Villa's win
Marco Asensio broke out into a huge grin when it was mentioned to him that Aston Villa will be playing Paris Saint-Germain in the next round.
He didn’t say too much about his parent club, though, but here’s what he said to TNT Sports about Aston Villa’s victory in the last-16.
“Very happy for the victory. I'm very happy for the team and the fans. Every match the atmosphere is top. We want more. Now we have a little break and to think about the upcoming objectives.
"I feel very comfortable here. Very happy with the team-mates, the fans and the city. In one or two weeks we have time to think about this [PSG] game."
Aston Villa's impressive Champions League home record
Aston Villa will be at home for the second leg of their quarter-final, travelling to Paris Saint-Germain first.
But Villa have extended their unbeaten home record in the Champions League, which included that famous win over Bayern Munich.
- 4-1 vs Bayern Munich
- 2-0 vs Bologna
- 0-0 vs Juventus
- 4-2 vs Celtic
- 3-0 vs Club Brugge
'It's mad': John McGinn on Aston Villa progress
Aston Villa captain John McGinn, who played for the club in the Championship six yards ago, on his side’s progress to the quarter-finals speaks to TNT Sports.
"It's mad. A lot of years of hard work. It doesn't get much harder than PSG over two legs. We have important games before that [against Preston in the FA Cup quarter-finals].
"I watched it [Liverpool v PSG] but you don't want to get too far ahead of yourselves. Villa, Champions League quarter-finalists. Can't ask for much more.
"We're giving these fans experiences they'll remember forever. We want to write our names in history and make these nights more frequent."
The Aston Villa star who represents remarkable rise and offers Champions League boost
Six years ago, Aston Villa’s April included a trip to Rotherham. Now they will visit Paris next month. Their horizons have broadened, their life got more glamorous. A Championship club in 2019 are Champions League quarter-finalists in 2025.
They will face Paris Saint-Germain in the last eight after a brace from a PSG player, with the benefit that Marco Asensio will be eligible to play his parent club in the Parc des Princes. It is another indication of how far and how fast Villa have come that a triple Champions League winner was on the scoresheet for them again. So, too, was Ian Maatsen, a Champions League finalist with Borussia Dortmund last season. Club Brugge, who scarcely boast the resources to attract such players, were eliminated.
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The Aston Villa star who represents remarkable rise and offers Champions League boost
FULL TIME! Aston Villa 3-0 Club Brugge (6-1 on agg.)
Champions League draw in full
- Paris Saint-Germain vs Aston Villa
- Real Madrid / Atletico Madrid vs Arsenal
- Barcelona vs Borussia Dortmund
- Bayern Munich vs Inter
FULL TIME! Aston Villa 3-0 Club Brugge (6-1 on agg.)
After a forgettable first half, a hugely enjoyable second for Aston Villa. Paris Saint-Germain will be hearing Hi Ho Aston Villa here next month, a club who were in the Championship six years ago playing in the Champions League quarter-finals now. It is a terrific achievement by Unai Emery.
FULL TIME!Aston Villa 3-0 Club Brugge (6-1 on agg.)
We skip added time! Aston Villa are through to the quarter-finals!
Aston Villa 3-0 Club Brugge (6-1 on agg.)
86 mins: Rashford is desperate for a goal and gets a sniff of a chance as he’s played through into the box. Vanaken steps across well to deny him.
Aston Villa 3-0 Club Brugge (6-1 on agg.)
82 mins: Aston Villa and Paris Saint-Germain have never played each other but there is plenty of narrative still between the teams, with Unai Emery set to face the team he managed between 2016 and 2018.
Unfortunately for the Spaniard, his time at PSG is best remembered for their historic collapse at Barcelona in the Remontada.
Emery would go head to head with the Barcelona manager from that famous night, in Luis Enrique.
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