September 17, (THEWILL) – Aston Villa began their UEFA Champions League campaign with a convincing 3-0 victory over BSC Young Boys at the Stadion Wankdorf. This match marked Villa’s debut in the newly formatted 36-team competition and their first-ever meeting with the Swiss champions.
Despite early pressure from Young Boys, Villa took the lead in the 27th minute through Youri Tielemans. The Belgian midfielder scored from John McGinn’s set-piece delivery, executing a well-rehearsed move. Jacob Ramsey doubled Villa’s advantage after a defensive error by Young Boys, tapping into an empty net following a foul on Ollie Watkins.
Villa had two goals disallowed by VAR in the second half, with both Watkins and substitute, Jhon Duran, seeing their efforts ruled out for handball. However, Amadou Onana sealed the win late in the game with a precise strike into the bottom corner, giving Villa a perfect start to their European campaign.
The victory marks Villa’s first European success against Swiss opposition away from home. Unai Emery’s team will face Bayern Munich in their next UCL fixture, a rematch of the 1982 final. This encounter will be the first between the two clubs since that historic night in Rotterdam.
Young Boys, meanwhile, continue to struggle against English teams in Europe, having won only once against English Premier League opposition in the competition. The defeat leaves the Swiss side with work to do in their upcoming group-stage matches.
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
