Champions League: Aston Villa 3 Club Brugge 0 (6-1): Superb sub Marco Asensio does it again to set up PSG tie

The City of Light will be the next stop on Villa’s Champions League adventure, after a dazzling second half display saw Unai Emery’s team bury 10-man Club Brugge 6-1 on aggregate and advance to the quarter-finals of Europe’s elite club competition for the first time since 1983.

Marco Asensio came off the bench and scored twice to help set up a showdown with his parent club and for Emery a reunion with the team he managed between 2016 and 2018.

Villa will enter next month’s tie as underdogs against Liverpool's vanquishers but not without hope after a run which has already far exceeded expectations.

This win was their seventh in this year’s competition, earning a further £10.5million in prize money.

Neither players, manager or supporters - the watching Prince William among them - are ready for this dream to end anytime soon.

Holding a 3-1 lead from last week’s first leg, Villa were already big favourites to progress and their grip on this last-16 tie increased further when Brugge defender Kyriani Sabbe was sent-off for pulling back Marcus Rashford when the forward was through on goal.

Emery’s men were passive in the first half, apparently happy to sit on their two-goal lead but in 11 second half minutes they promptly blew the visitors away in a devastating show of their attacking strength, Asensio scoring twice either side of Ian Maatsen’s first Villa goal.

The Spain international has now scored seven goals in his first eight appearances since joining from PSG on loan, just two of those starts.

Villa’s only blemish of the night was an apparent injury to Ollie Watkins. But that proved bad news for Brugge as it brought Asensio, scorer of a late penalty in last week’s first leg, into the action.

As has been the case for every Champions League night at Villa Park the noise was deafening before the action got underway, the teams emerging after fireworks and with a huge gaslight Tifo hanging over the Holte End.

Things then they got far quieter as the visitors made a confident start. Brugge fans asked, in English, whether they should sing a song for the home supporters, as Hans Vanaken planted a header wide.

But any realistic hope they had of pulling off the comeback evaporated in the 16th minute. Emi Martinez fired a long kick over the home defence, Rashford got in behind Sabbe and was pulled down. Referee Daniel Siebert took a moment to consider his decision before producing the red card, Simon Mignolet preventing further damage for the visitors when he saved Youri Tielemans’ subsequent free-kick low down to his right.

Any thought Villa might quickly blow Brugge away proved misplaced, as Emery’s men were content to sit back. Only on the brink of half-time did they threaten again, Rashford driving a shot into the side netting after neat work from Tyrone Mings down the left.

That came shortly after Watkins had received treatment after pulling up and his half-time replacement, Asensio, needed fewer than five minutes to make his mark.

Villa had already shown greater purpose after the restart, Mings bringing a sharp save out of Mignolet with a fierce drive.

Yet the keeper stood no chance soon after when Leon Bailey, who had replaced Boubacar Kamara at the break, chipped a pass into the box which Asensio thumped first time into the roof of the net.

Villa Park was now in party mode but Asensio missed the chance to further raise the volume when he brought down Tielemans’ lofted pass and sent his shot against the post.

It proved only a brief reprieve for Brugge. Rogers got to the byline and picked out Maatsen, whose finish took a nick off a defender on its way into the net.

Four minutes later, Asensio did have his second. Rogers set Rashford away down the left and his low cross was fired home by the Spaniard.

Mignolet prevented the winning margin becoming wide, first saving low down from Cash and then keeping out a long-range Tielemans’ effort.

Villa (4-2-3-1): Martinez, Cash (Disasi 73), Konsa, Mings (Torres 66), Maatsen, Kamara (Bailey HT), Tielemans, McGinn, Rogers (Ramsey 66), Rashford, Watkins (Asensio HT) Subs not used: Bogarde, Digne, Onana, Zych (gk), Olsen (gk).

Club Brugge (4-2-3-1): Mignolet, Sabbe, Ordonez (Romero 58), Mechele, De Cuyper, Onyedika, Jashari (Nielsen 58), Talbi (Skoras 58), Vanaken, Tzolis (Siquet 66), Jutgla (Nilsson 58) Subs not used: Romero, Vetlesen, Vermant, Spileers, Campbell, Jackers (gk).