Aston Villa’s impressive Champions League winning streak came to an abrupt end on Wednesday, as a bizarre penalty incident handed Club Brugge a 1-0 victory at the Jan Breydel Stadium. The incident, which Villa manager Unai Emery labeled as the “biggest mistake” he had ever witnessed, occurred in the 51st minute with the score level at 0-0.
Goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez tapped a goal-kick to defender Tyrone Mings, who inexplicably picked up the ball, placed it back for a goal-kick, and passed it back to Martinez. Brugge players immediately protested, and the referee pointed to the spot. Brugge captain Hans Vanaken converted the penalty, giving the hosts a 1-0 lead.
Villa failed to find an equalizer, ending their unbeaten record in the competition. The visitors had won their first three games without conceding a goal, marking their first Champions League appearance since they were the defending champions 41 years ago.
Speaking after the match, Emery expressed his disbelief at Mings’ mistake. “His mistake is completely strange,” he said. “It’s the biggest mistake I witnessed in my career. It has only happened one time in all my life. Today.”
Last season, a similar incident occurred in the Champions League quarterfinals when Arsenal defender Gabriel went unpunished for picking up a short pass from goalkeeper David Raya against Bayern Munich. The referee’s decision not to award a penalty was criticized by then-Bayern coach Thomas Tuchel.
After the match, Martinez was seen having a discussion with referee Tobias Stieler, attempting to convince him that he had made a mistake. Villa, who were leading the 36-team standings before the fixture, have now dropped to eighth position. They will face Juventus at home in their next Champions League match in three weeks’ time.
