Aston Villa, Club Brugge, John McGinn and Nicolas Jackson
8 September 2026
Aston Villa beat Club Brugge 3-2 in Belgium to claim their first victory of the season and open their Champions League campaign with three points. John McGinn, Emi Buendia and Nicolas Jackson scored as Unai Emery’s rebuilt side held on.
McGinn’s opener made him Villa’s all-time leading European scorer with 12 goals, while Jackson scored his first goal since his £65 million move. Brugge pulled one back through Nicolo Tresoldi’s penalty and later hit the post, but Villa survived.