Bizarre Champions League loss for Villa

BRUGGE, Belgium (AP):

ASTON VILLA’S winning run in the Champions League ended after a bizarre penalty incident yesterday that coach Unai Emery described as the “biggest mistake” he’s ever seen in his career.

The mental lapse by defender Tyrone Mings, who conceded a spot kick by picking up the ball with his hand after a short goal kick by goalkeeper Emiliano Martínez, gifted Club Brugge a 1-0 win.

Villa had won their first three games without conceding a single goal in the club’s first appearance in the elite competition since they were the defending champions 41 years ago.

“His mistake is completely strange. It’s the biggest mistake I witnessed in my career,” Emery said. “It has only happened one time in all my life. Today.”

A similar incident did happen already in the Champions League last season – but a penalty kick was not given.

In the quarterfinals, Arsenal defender Gabriel went unpunished for picking up a short pass from goalkeeper David Raya in the first leg against Bayern Munich.

Bayern’s then-coach Thomas Tuchel later criticised the referee who had said he would not award a penalty for a “kid’s mistake.”

A difference in the Villa incident was that the ball went forward out of the six-yard box with Martínez seeming to have intentionally restarted play early in the second half.

Mings apparently thought the ball was not yet in play. He walked forward to pick it up with his left hand and returned it to place it at the corner of the six-yard box.

Brugge captain Hans Vanaken converted the penalty in the 52nd minute to give Brugge a 1-0 lead, placing the ball to Martínez’s left as the World Cup-winning Argentina goalkeeper dived to his right.

Martínez tried to persuade German referee Tobias Stieler after the game that he had made a mistake.

VIlla defender Ezri Konsa suggested the referee compounded his mistakes because Mings had previously been shown a yellow card in the first half.

“He’s on a yellow already, so why not send him off for that?” Konsa told British broadcaster TNT in a post-game interview.

Villa had been surprise leaders in the 36-team standings and provisionally dropped to fifth before hosting Juventus in three weeks’ time.

Brugge have six points from two wins and two losses, and were in 20th place.

Yesterday’s Results

Shakhtar Donetsk 2-1 Young Boys

Club Brugge 1-0 Villa

Feyenoord 1-3 RB Salzburg

PSG1-2 Atletico

Sparta Praha 1-2 Brest

Crvena Zvezda 2-5 Barcelona

Inter 1-0 Arsenal

Stuttgart 0-2 Atalanta

Bayern 1-0 Benfica