Super-sub Asensio has explosive impact as fireworks greet Villa passage to Champions League quarters
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Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 12/03/2025 (566 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.
Fireworks exploded above the stadium at the final whistle to greet Aston Villa’s progress to the Champions League quarterfinals in the club’s first season in Europe’s top competition in 41 years.
There’s no doubting who made the most explosive impact in Villa’s 3-0 win over Club Brugge on Wednesday.
Marco Asensio lived up to his status as the most prolific substitute in Champions League history with two more goals off the bench after coming on at halftime.
Make that 12 goals in 51 games as a substitute in the competition for the Spanish forward. On both counts, that’s more than any other player, according to stats provided by Villa.
Next for Asensio is a two-legged matchup against Paris Saint-Germain, the French club he left to ignite his career at Villa Park with the 1982 European champions.
He’s sure doing that.
The 29-year-old Asensio, who first made his name in a nearly decade-long stint at Real Madrid, has scored seven goals in his last five games for Villa — where he has slotted in seamlessly following his a deadline-day move in Europe’s winter transfer window.
Three of them have come against Brugge, having also converted a penalty in Villa’s 3-1 win in the first leg in Belgium last week.
Eight days on, he could even have grabbed a hat trick as he also hit the post with a shot between his goals in the 50th and 61st minute.
“We are still adapting, all the new players,” said Asensio, referring to fellow recent arrivals Marcus Rashford and Axel Disasi, “but I think that we are in the right way, and keep pushing.
“I am very comfortable, very happy with the teammates, with the fans, with the city, so keep continuing.”
The exploits of Asensio and his teammates got the royal seal of approval Wednesday, with Prince William at Villa Park to watch his favorite team play.
The prince visited Villa’s Bodymoor Heath training ground on Tuesday to wish the players luck ahead of the second leg. He had been in the area carrying out an official engagement at a referee training course.
Ian Maatsen also scored in the second half for Villa, one of two English teams to reach the last eight along with Arsenal.
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AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer
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