Aston Villa ended their early-season scoring drought in style on Tuesday, beating Club Brugge 3-2 away in their opening Champions League league-phase fixture.
John McGinn, Emiliano Buendia and Nicolas Jackson scored in a prolific first half as Unai Emery’s side secured their first victory of the 2026/27 season.
Villa had entered the match under pressure after failing to score in their opening three Premier League games. They had managed only one shot on target across those matches, making their attacking display in Belgium a welcome turnaround.
McGinn opened the scoring in the 11th minute after Pau Torres drove forward and supplied the pass for the Villa captain to curl a fine finish beyond Yann Sommer.
Club Brugge responded eight minutes later when Hugo Vetlesen fired into the bottom corner after Jan Virgili created the opening.
Villa restored their advantage almost immediately.
Joao Gomes found Buendia, who produced a clinical finish to make it 2-1 in the 22nd minute.
The visitors then extended their lead shortly before half-time when Torres again provided the decisive pass. Nicolas Jackson capitalised on Sommer’s advanced position, beating the goalkeeper and finishing into an empty net for his first Aston Villa goal.
The three-goal first half gave Villa a strong platform, but Club Brugge made the visitors work for victory after the interval.
The hosts reduced the deficit in the 61st minute after Aaron Wan-Bissaka handled Joaquin Seys’ cross inside the area. Nicolo Tresoldi converted the resulting penalty to make it 3-2.
Club Brugge dominated possession as they searched for an equaliser, with Villa forced to defend for long periods.
Tresoldi came close to levelling when his header struck the post after goalkeeper Zion Suzuki had initially fumbled the effort.
The Belgian side continued to threaten in the closing stages, but Villa held on to claim a crucial three points.
The victory provides a major boost for Emery following a difficult start to the campaign and a turbulent summer transfer window.
Villa underwent a significant rebuild after losing several key members of last season’s squad, including Emiliano Martinez, Lucas Digne, Youri Tielemans and Ollie Watkins.
Jackson, one of the club’s major summer signings, opened his Villa account at an important moment, while Torres played a decisive role with two assists.
The victory also continued Villa’s strong recent record against Club Brugge in European competition.
Villa had lost their first Champions League meeting in Belgium during the 2024/25 campaign but subsequently defeated the Belgian club twice in the last 16.
Tuesday’s victory was particularly significant because McGinn’s goal became the opening strike of the 2026/27 Champions League league phase.
Villa will now switch their attention back to domestic football before returning to Europe for their second league-phase fixture against Fenerbahce on October 14.
