Club Brugge fell to a 3-2 defeat against Aston Villa on Tuesday in their Champions League opener at the Jan Breydel Stadion.
The Belgian champions, under Ivan Leko, were made to pay for a series of errors in the first half as Villa took control early on. The visitors opened the scoring in the 11th minute when Pau Torres was allowed to carry the ball forward unchallenged before laying it off to John McGinn, who curled in a fine finish.
Brugge responded well and levelled in the 19th minute. Jan Virgili, making his first start for the club, found Hugo Vetlesen, who finished calmly. But their recovery was short-lived. Three minutes later, Joao Gomes was able to turn Vetlesen and release Emiliano Buendia, who restored Villa’s lead.
The hosts continued to struggle defensively and were punished again before half-time. Another move involving Torres ended with Yann Sommer rushing out and being easily bypassed by Nicolas Jackson, who scored Villa’s third in the 43rd minute.
Brugge improved after the interval and were handed a route back into the contest when a handball by Aaron Wan-Bissaka was spotted by VAR following a Joaquin Seys cross. Nicolo Tresoldi sent Zion Suzuki the wrong way from the penalty spot in the 61st minute to make it 3-2.
Buoyed by the home crowd, Brugge pushed for an equaliser. Tresoldi was denied by the post from a header after a corner, while Villa then steadied themselves and created several chances of their own without altering the score.
Brugge’s next Champions League match will be away to Inter on 13 October. On Sunday, the Belgian champions host Antwerp in the Pro League.