Aston Villa continued their dream debut Champions League campaign as Marco Asensio sent them on their way to a quarter-final with his parent club Paris St Germain.
Asensio climbed off the bench to score a second-half double as Villa won their last-16 tie with Club Brugge 6-1 on aggregate after a 3-0 second-leg victory at Villa Park.
Ian Maatsen also got on the scoresheet as Villa hit three goals in 11 minutes after the break against the Belgian side, who were playing with 10 men following the 17th-minute dismissal of Kyriani Sabbe.
Into the next round 🤩 #UCL pic.twitter.com/qFRux7AJjQ
— Aston Villa (@AVFCOfficial) March 12, 2025
In Asensio they have the man for the big occasion and, with players of his quality at their disposal, Villa are dreaming of the impossible – a repeat of their 1982 European Cup triumph.
Before that, though, the Spaniard will be able to provide intelligence on Villa’s next mission as he is on loan at Villa from PSG.
A two-legged tie with Liverpool’s conquerors awaits next month, which will be a first return to the Parc des Princes for boss Unai Emery, but for now Villa can bask in the glory of another famous European night in front of the watching Prince William.
They are through to the last eight of the premier European club competition for the first time since their 1983 European Cup run was ended at the same stage by Juventus and who knows how far they can go this time around.
Villa did the heavy lifting with a 3-1 win in last week’s first leg in Belgium, which left Brugge aiming to become just the second team in the Champions League era to progress through a knockout round having lost the first leg by two goals.
History was against them and their odds lengthened significantly in the 17th minute when they were reduced to 10 men.
Emiliano Martinez’s long kick perfectly found Marcus Rashford’s clever run and the on-loan forward was dragged back by Sabbe on the edge of the area.
Referee Daniel Siebert produced the red card and their punishment was almost doubled from the resulting free-kick when Simon Mignolet was unsighted from Youri Tieleman’s free-kick but was able to scoop the ball away from safety.
It was not until the second half that Villa were able to take full control and two half-time substitutes combined to give them the lead in the 50th minute.
Leon Bailey’s cute pass found Asensio and he again proved his worth with a clinical finish into the roof of the net.
Marco Asensio extends Aston Villa''s lead to 4-1 on aggregate, just 4️⃣ minutes after entering the pitch 💥
He''s now scored 6 goals in 8 games for the club 🤩
📺 @tntsports & @discoveryplusUK pic.twitter.com/HXexgw3ca3
— Football on TNT Sports (@footballontnt) March 12, 2025
The Spaniard should have made it two soon after as Tieleman’s precise ball sent him clear but he hit the post.
Villa did double their lead in the 57th minute when Maatsen turned in Morgan Rogers’ cross, with the goal surviving a VAR check.
Rashford’s burgeoning relationship with Asensio continued four minutes later as the on-loan Manchester United man unselfishly squared for his team-mate to sweep into an empty net, the fourth time the pair have combined.
Let's start our Daily Laugh today. Every season Arsenal must sign at least one Chelsea player Arsenal Striker now Raya.... Latin/South American Teams are UNBEATEN After the First Round of the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup! Lamine Yamal is spending his S̶c̶h̶o̶o̶l̶ Holidays with 30-year-old Spanish influencer Fati Vazquez… Relegation Zone Club – Manchester United will face THREE o...
Marcus Rashford wants to miss Manchester United's summer tour of America in favour of finding himself a new club.Ruben Amorim's squad are due to travel America next month to ramp up their pre-season preparations. But Rashford is desperate to avoid going if he has not secured an exit from Old Trafford, and will tell club bosses he wants to remain in England to resolve his future.It's understood Amo...
Liverpool are reportedly set to table a 'significant' offer for Crystal Palace star Marc Guehi. The defender has just one year left on his contract at Selhurst Park and is therefore expected to be on the move this summer.Guehi has been heavily linked with a move away from the Eagles over the past few seasons, with Chelsea, Newcastle and Tottenham all showing an interest in acquiring the services o...
Tottenham Hotspur captain Son Heung-min could soon be exiting the north London club.Once part of a formidable partnership with Harry Kane, there is no question the South Korea international's powers appeared to have waned last season.Thankfully, after an almost 10-year association with Tottenham, Son finally marked his time at the club with a trophy last season, lifting the Europa League under dep...
Maresca reveals if Chelsea will sign a replacement for MudrykChelsea boss Enzo Maresca has revealed whether the Blues will sign a replacement for Mykhailo Mudryk after the winger's doping charges."We had already one entire season almost without Misha last season. We tried to find different solutions with some of the academy players like Tyrique [George]."But we're going to decide to go for a winge...
Liverpool join race to sign Crystal Palace star Marc GuehiLiverpool have reportedly joined the race to sign Crystal Palace captain Marc Guehi as they seek to bolster their back line this summer.The 24-year-old is widely expected to leave the FA Cup holders this summer with his contract set to expire at the end of next season.According to the Daily Mail, Liverpool are now looking to sign a new cent...
Arsenal to pay ABOVE Martin Zubimendi release clauseArsenal will have to pay above the €60m release clause in Martin Zubimendi's Real Sociedad contract to get the deal done this summer.The 26-year-old has been in talks with Arsenal over a move from Spain to North London for the past six months and it’s now reaching Its climax.Personal terms were agreed some time ago but the clubs have ...
Lionel Messi celebrates his free kickLionel Messi’s 50th Inter Miami goal in only his 61st appearance for the club sealed a 2-1 comeback win over FC Porto in their FIFA Club World Cup Group A clash, securing a first-ever victory in the competition.Both sides contested goalless draws in their respective opening matches, but the deadlock was broken after only eight minutes in Atlanta through a...
Man City handed Premier League fine ahead of 115 charges verdictMan City have been slapped with a 3800k fine by the Premier League for repeated late kick-offs as they await the verdict for their alleged 115 charges.Pep Guardiola’s side have been fined approximately 3800,000 after admitting to nine breaches of Premier League Rule L.33, which governs punctuality for kick-offs and second-half r...
Man United set to miss out on goalkeeper target after Napoli talksMan United look set to miss out on one of their reported goalkeeping targets with Vanja Milinkovic-Savic in talks with Serie A champions Napoli.United had been heavily linked with the 28-year-old with current number one Andre Onana failing to convince since his move back in 2023.According to transfer guru Fabrizio Romano, Milinkovic...
- 1 DONE DEAL: Marseille confirm CJ Egan-Riley signing from Burnley
- 2 Chloe Kelly enjoys sun-kissed holiday as Arsenal star rests before Euro 2025
- 3 Jack Grealish set to leave Man City this summer
- 4 Man Utd have Hugo Ekitike 'advantage'
- 5 Transfer news & rumours LIVE
- 6 Stunning Euro U21 reporter dubbed 'queen of Europe' in bold dress
- 7 Man Utd make decision on replacing Andre Onana with Emi Martinez this summer
- 8 PSG vs Atletico Madrid Prediction 16 June 2025
- 9 DONE DEAL: Celta Vigo sign permanently Ilaix from RB Leipzig
- 10 Laura Woods gives update on post-pregnancy body