Although Emery has an advantage in advancing to the Champions League quarterfinals, he urges the team to be cautious in the next round

Aston Villa beat Club Brugge 3-1 in the first leg of their 2024/25 UEFA Champions League last-16 tie after goals from Leon Bailey and Asensio. Unai Emery said situations can change at any time and urged his side to remain cautious in the return leg.

Just 3 minutes into the game, Tielemans took a free kick, Mings headed the ball in the face of the defense, Leon Bailey received the ball and volleyed it, helping Aston Villa get a dream start with a score of 1-0. In the 12th minute, Zolis passed the ball back from the penalty area, Dirk Cooper stepped forward and shot into the goal, helping Bruges to tie the score 1-1.

In the 82nd minute of the second half, Morgan Rogers passed the ball in front of the goal, and Brandon Mechele accidentally kicked the ball into his own goal when clearing the ball, allowing Aston Villa to take the lead again with 2-1.

In the 85th minute, Cash was tripped by Zolis, and Aston Villa was awarded a penalty kick, which Asensio then scored. In the end, Aston Villa defeated Bruges 3-1 away from home and laid the foundation for advancing to the quarterfinals of the Champions League.

Aston Villa manager Emery said, "The game went as we planned, and the difficulty of the game was roughly in line with my expectations. Out of respect for the opponent, we need to match the opponent's style of play more than usual in the game. Through pre-match analysis and the match with them in November last year, we know how well Bruges performed. They have a good system in tactical organization and ball possession. Therefore, we chose to respect their ball possession advantage and make corresponding adjustments based on their position."

“The most important thing in the game was our competitiveness, whether it was scoring the first goal from a set-piece or being solid defensively, sometimes we were a little deeper than I would have liked. We needed the goalkeeper to play and sometimes Mings made a crucial clearance. We remember that he also made an important defensive move here last year and he made the decisive contribution again.”

Emery continued, “There are 90 minutes left in the next game and we know the strength of Brugge. They have defeated Atalanta before and showed strong competitiveness in this game. The most important thing now is to review the game with the players and understand the different difficulties we may encounter in the European arena.”

"We have to be prepared in case the game goes into extra time or even a penalty shootout. I know very well the difficulty of every game and that the situation can change at any time in 90 minutes. This is football, and the key to competition is how to use your own abilities to win, and we did it."

In addition, Emery added, “We need the goalkeeper to play a key role and must be more decisive in defense. The opponent's forward missed two good opportunities, but we always accept everything that happens on the court. My philosophy is to analyze the game, respect the opponent, and strive to continuously improve at the individual and team level and prepare for the next game.”