Aston Villa secured their first victory of the campaign and three vital Champions League points with a 3-1 win at Club Brugge, handing Unai Emery's extensively rebuilt squad a measurable lift. John McGinn opened the scoring and in doing so became Villa's record goalscorer in European competition with 12 strikes. Emi Buendia doubled the lead before halftime, and Nicolas Jackson, starting his third game, converted his first goal for the club after a mistake by Brugge goalkeeper Yann Sommer.
Villa introduced George Hemmings as a teenager in the starting XI, the club's first European teenage starter in 43 years, and he impressed in the opening period. The visitors dominated the first half for volume and intent, registering 14 attempts inside 45 minutes, a sharp contrast with the single shot on target they managed across their first three Premier League fixtures.
Club Brugge fought back in the second half, earning a penalty when Aaron Wan-Bissaka was penalised for handball and Nicolo Tresoldi converted. The hosts maintained pressure late on and Tresoldi struck the post as they chased a route back into the match, but Villa held firm to preserve the win and finish the evening relieved after a match that swung between control and tension.
McGinn reflected on the difficulty of the trip and the challenges facing a side integrating new recruits, saying, "It was Joao Gomes and George Hemmings' first Champions League game. It's not easy to go away at a place like this in difficult weather conditions. Club Brugge were pushing and pushing and pushing and we had to stand strong. We managed to do that. It was so important to show a real gritty performance and get a victory at a very, very tough place to play."
Emery framed the result as part of a longer rebuild, calling the victory "one very important step forward" and urging senior players to lead by example. Jackson, Villa's record £65m signing from Chelsea who previously worked with Emery at Villarreal, welcomed his start, saying, "We don't care about the past, we just focus on the next one. Like every team, we have our ambitions. We just know it's a long journey, so we take it step by step try to win every game we play. I'm very happy to be here and happy to be with the team, manager and staff. Hopefully, there are many more to come."
Villa return to domestic action at home to Nottingham Forest on Saturday, then face Coventry in the Carabao Cup before travelling to Tottenham, giving Emery's side immediate opportunities to build on a performance that combined attacking intent with defensive resilience.
