Asensio double powers Villa past Brugge to set up PSG tie
BRACE: Aston Villa's Marco Asensio celebrates scoring his side's third goal against Club Brugge. Pic: Jacob King/PA Wire.
Marco Asensio can look forward to facing his parent club Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League quarter-finals after his double helped keep Aston Villa’s dreams of European glory alive.
The Spanish forward – on loan from Liverpool’s French conquerors – conjured two more goals after coming off the bench at half-time at Villa Park in a magical display of clinically cool finishing.
A UEFA statement in 2014 granted players the chance to play against their parent clubs in European’s elite competition, which sets Asensio up against the team where he starred as recently as January.
Asensio’s classy brace – making it seven goals in eight games for Villa – befitted the occasion of this grand old home of English football, as a thunderous welcome from Villa supporters shook it to its foundations at kick-off.
All Villa fans were handed free white scarves – referencing the away colours when they won the European Cup in 1982 – as they entered the stadium. Prince William, wearing his Villa scarf around his neck, joined in the spirit from the stands.
Any thoughts of Club Brugge retrieving the two-goal deficit vanished with the 16th-minute sending off of their right back Kyriani Sabbe.
Marcus Rashford put the burners on to reach Emi Martinez’s long goal kick and get around the back of Sabbe – who was last man, and pushed him to the ground. German referee Daniel Siebert had little choice but to show the right back the red card.
From the resulting free kick, Youri Tielemans’ curling effort was pushed out by former Liverpool goalkeeper Simon Mignolet.
Chemsdine Talbi got into a threatening position after cutting inside, but he could only float a tame effort straight at Martínez.
Villa took their time to assert the authority of the extra man, but Ollie Watkins tried an audacious chip from just over the halfway line after a Brugge mistake, his shot dropping short.
Rashford missed the chance to open the scoring on the night and make it 4-1 on aggregate when his angled shot brushed the sidenetting.
Villa’s half-time substitutes Asensio and Leon Bailey had an immediate impact as they combined to open the scoring in the 50th minute.
Asensio smashed a rising effort into the roof of the net from eight yards out after an outrageous flick by Bailey into space deep inside the area. Four minutes later, Asensio was a whisker away from making it 2-0 on the night.
Tielemans released him with a chip over the top of a static defence and he had plenty of time to make his mind up with Mignolet to beat. His shot beat the goalkeeper but bounced against the foot of the right-hand post.
Maatsen’s flick made it 2-0 on 57 following some neat footwork and a cut-back from Morgan Rogers.
Asensio swept home Villa’s third from closer range in the 61st minute. But the goal owed so much to the appetite of Rashford, who twice just stayed onside to survive a VAR check in exchanging passes with Rogers before cutting the ball back for the forward. On to Paris.
Martínez 7; Cash 7 (Disasi 73 minutes, 6), Mings 7 (Pau Torres 66 minutes, 6), Konsa 7, Maatsen 8; Tielemans 7, Kamara 6 (Bailey 46 minutes, 7), Rogers 7 (Ramsey 66 minutes, 6), McGinn (c) 7, Rashford 9; Watkins 6 (Marco Asensio 46 minutes, 6).
Bogarde, Digne, Onana, Olsen, Zych.
Mignolet 6; Sabbe 2, Ordoñez 5 (Romero 58 minutes, 6), Mechele 6, De Cuyper 5; Onyedika 5, Jashari 6 (Nielsen 58 minutes, 6); Talbi 5 (Skóraś 58 minutes, 6), Vanaken (c) 6, Tzolis 5 (Siquet 66 minutes, 6); Jutglà 5 (Nilsson 58 minutes, 6).
Campbell, Jackers, Spileers, Vermant, Vetlesen.
Daniel Siebert (Germany) 7.
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