Marco Asensio played on Wednesday when Aston Villa beat 3-0 with 3-0 on Wednesday to book a quarter-final collision of the Champions League with Paris Saint-Germain. Asensio came from the bank to strike twice in the second half of the last-16 second stage in Villa Park. The in-shape Spanish attacker has scored seven times since he has been on loan from PSG in the transfer window of January and has been set for a reunion with his parent club in the last eight. Bruges let Kyriani Sabbe be sent early in the first half on Marcus Rashford for Marcus Rashford and Asensio ensured that Villa finally benefited.
Ian Maatsen scored between the brace of Asensio when the side of Unai Emery returned to a 6-1 aggregated victory.
With Prince William, a well-known Villa fan, who is celebrating in the stands, the Premier League outfit is on for the first time in 42 years to the quarterfinals of Europe's Elite Club Competition.
Their exit against Juventus at that stage in 1982-83 was Villa's last performance in the European Cup-De forerunner of the Champions League.
The men of Emery are the first team to reach the quarterfinals of the Champions League in their debut season in the competition since Atalanta reached in 2019-2020.
Wins against Bayern Munich, RB Leipzig and Celtic are among the Champions League height points for Emery's men this period.
PSG are the next in their sights after the fine-shoot-out victory of the Ligue 1 leaders in Liverpool on Tuesday.
Faced with PSG in April will have extra significance for Emery, who was in charge of two turbulent seasons at PSG, the French title won in 2018 but is struggling in the Champions League.
It is only the second time that Emery has passed the Champions League the last 16 after he brought Villarreal to the semi -final in 2022.
A repeat of their famous European cup -winning campaign in 1982 can turn out to be further than Villa, but this season they have created memories of life in their fairytal run.
Praise
While fireworks crackled over Villa Park before the kick -off, fans unfolded a huge flag with the motto “prepared”.
It was a message that their team initially seemed to ignore.
Bruges captain Hans Vanaken threw a header from the distant pole into a confident start of the visitors.
The target-bound by Raphael Onyedika was blocked by Villa defender Ezri Konsa, an opportunity that provoked anxious groans by fans.
Villa lost 1-0 in Bruges in the competition phase and needed two goals in the last eight minutes to take control of the last-16 first stage.
But Bruges had never won in England in 14 trips and those nervous villa supporters did not have to have worried because the tension was lifted in an instant by Rashford's sizzling pace.
Rashford was accelerated at the long point of Emiliano Martinez in the 17th minute and was brought down by Sabbe on the edge of the area, with the Bruges defender rejected for refusing a clear chance of goal.
From the free kick, the drive of Youri Tielemans Simon Mignolet forced to make a vast rescue low to the right.
Emery made an inspired double replacement with the interval and sent Asensio and Leon Bailey in a movement that paid immediate dividends.
The pair combined to break the impasse in the 50th minute when Bailey's Pass Asensio reached in the Bruges area and he turned to end with APLomb.
Asensio should have scored a little later, but the shot of the 29-year-old can be back from the post.
With Villa fans who sang praise numbers for Emery, measures doubled in the 57th minute.
The agile footwork of Morgan Rogers worked space for a cross to Maaten, whose effort was close to Mignolet.
Four minutes later, Asensio declined a memorable European evening before Villa and met Rashford's low cross with a clinical finish from six meters.
(This story was not edited by DailyExpertNews staff and is automatically generated from a syndicated feed.)
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