Aston Villa’s impressive winning streak in the Champions League came to an abrupt end with a narrow 1-0 defeat to Club Brugge on Wednesday.
Despite winning their first three games in the group stage, Villa’s unbeaten run was halted in Belgium, thanks to a costly error by Tyrone Mings.
Mings, playing in his Champions League debut, made a critical blunder that handed Brugge the decisive penalty early in the second half.
In a moment of confusion, Mings picked up the ball after a pass from Villa goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez, assuming it wasn’t in play. The referee awarded a penalty, a decision quickly upheld by VAR.
Brugge’s Hans Vanaken stepped up to the spot and coolly converted, giving the Belgian side a crucial lead.
From that point on, Unai Emery’s team struggled to make an impact offensively, registering a mere 0.4 expected goals (xG) for the match—a statistic that reflected their underwhelming attacking performance.
Villa managed only a few half-chances, failing to build momentum against a determined Brugge defense.
With this victory, Brugge moved up to six points in the group, narrowing the gap to just three points behind Villa.
Remarkably, this win marked Brugge’s first triumph over an English team in European competition since 1995, when they defeated Chelsea in the Cup Winners’ Cup, ending a 14-match winless streak against English opponents.
Villa, on the other hand, missed the opportunity to join an exclusive group of clubs that have won their first four Champions League games. Only three teams—AC Milan in 1993, Paris Saint-Germain in 1994, and Juventus in 1995—have achieved that feat.
