Aston Villa opened their 2026/27 Champions League campaign with a 3-2 win at Club Brugge, while AEK Athens beat LASK 1-0 on their return to the competition.
Aston Villa win in Belgium as AEK Athens mark Champions League return with victory
Aston Villa began the 2026/27 Champions League league phase with an important 3-2 victory away to Club Brugge, while AEK Athens celebrated their return to the competition after almost a decade by beating LASK Linz 1-0 in the Greek capital. The two early matches provided an eventful opening to the new European campaign, with Villa carrying their momentum from last season Europa League triumph into the Champions League and AEK making a winning return to the tournament for the first time since the 2018/19 season.
For Aston Villa, the trip to Belgium represented a demanding first test. The English side arrived as the reigning Europa League winners but faced the Belgian champions on their own ground, where Club Brugge were looking to begin the league phase with a positive result. Villa nevertheless showed the attacking efficiency required to take control of the match before half-time, scoring three times in the opening 45 minutes and eventually holding on despite pressure from the hosts after the break.
John McGinn wrote his name into the first chapter of the 2026/27 competition by scoring the opening goal of this season Champions League. The Scotland international struck in the 11th minute to give Aston Villa an early advantage and settle the visitors into the contest. It was the ideal beginning for a team returning to European action after lifting the Europa League trophy last season and now attempting to transfer that continental success into the higher level of the Champions League.
Club Brugge responded quickly, however. Eight minutes after McGinn opener, Hugo Vetlesen brought the Belgian champions level. The Norwegian midfielder scored in the 19th minute to make it 1-1 and briefly restore balance to a match that had already developed into an open contest.
Villa take control before half-time
The equaliser did not disrupt Aston Villa for long. Just three minutes after Vetlesen had levelled, Buendia restored the visitors advantage in the 22nd minute. The Argentine midfielder goal made it 2-1 and forced Club Brugge to chase the match again almost immediately after working their way back into contention.
Villa then strengthened their position shortly before the interval. Jackson scored in the 43rd minute to make it 3-1, giving the English side a two-goal advantage at the end of a first half in which they had been particularly effective in turning their attacking moments into goals. With three different scorers, Villa entered the dressing room in a commanding position despite the competitive nature of the opening period.
The first-half scoreline was especially significant because Club Brugge had shown they were capable of responding after falling behind. Their equaliser through Vetlesen had demonstrated that Villa could not afford to lose concentration, but the visitors answered that warning by scoring twice more before the break.
For Aston Villa, going into half-time 3-1 ahead provided a valuable cushion, but the second half still required discipline. Club Brugge had already found one goal and were playing in front of their own supporters, meaning the Belgian champions remained capable of making the contest difficult if they reduced the deficit early enough.
Club Brugge respond through Tresoldi penalty
The hosts managed to do exactly that in the 61st minute. Nicolo Tresoldi converted a penalty to make it 3-2 and reopen the match with almost half an hour still to play. The German forward goal changed the situation considerably, reducing Villa margin to a single goal and ensuring the visitors could no longer manage the closing stages with the same degree of comfort.
Club Brugge had Carlos Forbs on the pitch for the full match, with the Portugal international completing all 90 minutes as the Belgian side attempted to find a way back into the contest. Despite reducing the deficit through Tresoldi, however, they could not produce the equaliser required to rescue a point.
Aston Villa therefore protected their 3-2 advantage through to the final whistle and left Belgium with three points from their opening league-phase fixture. For a team entering the competition with expectations shaped by last season European success, beginning with an away victory against the Belgian champions represents a particularly positive start.
The result also demonstrated Villa ability to handle a match that changed several times. They scored early, conceded an equaliser, immediately restored their advantage and then opened up a two-goal lead before being forced to defend a narrower margin in the second half. Although the final scoreline remained close, the English side did enough to ensure their return to the Champions League stage began successfully.
McGinn scores first goal of the new Champions League
McGinn contribution carried additional significance because his strike was the first goal scored in the 2026/27 edition of the Champions League. Opening goals of a new European campaign always attract attention, and the Scotland midfielder was the player who provided the first decisive moment of the season.
His goal also gave Villa the confidence to establish themselves immediately in a difficult away environment. European away matches can often become complicated if the visiting team allows the home side to settle, but Villa instead took the initiative and forced Club Brugge to respond.
Even after Vetlesen equalised, the visitors maintained their composure. Buendia and Jackson ensured the momentum swung back towards Villa, while the three-goal first half gave them enough of a platform to survive Tresoldi second-half penalty.
That attacking contribution from different players was one of the main features of the victory. McGinn, Buendia and Jackson all found the net, giving Villa multiple sources of goals and preventing Club Brugge from focusing on one single attacking threat.
AEK Athens celebrate return after almost a decade
In Athens, the story was very different but equally significant. AEK returned to the Champions League for the first time since the 2018/19 season and marked the occasion with a 1-0 victory over LASK Linz. After almost a decade away from the competition, simply being back on this stage was already a notable moment for the Greek side, but they added to the occasion by collecting all three points.
The decisive goal arrived in the 21st minute through Razvan Marin. The Romanian midfielder scored the only goal of the match, giving AEK an advantage they successfully protected for the remainder of the contest.
Unlike the five-goal match in Belgium, the meeting in Athens was settled by a single moment. AEK did not need the same volume of scoring as Aston Villa, but the outcome was equally valuable. A 1-0 victory ensured their return to the Champions League began with maximum points and immediately gave the team a positive platform in the league phase.
The match also featured notable Portuguese involvement. Centre-back Filipe Relvas started for AEK and remained on the pitch for the entire game, helping the Greek side keep the clean sheet required to preserve Marin first-half goal. João Mário, meanwhile, was named among the substitutes but did not enter the match.
Portuguese referee Luís Godinho was in charge of the fixture, adding another Portuguese presence to a match in which Relvas played a central role for the hosts.
Relvas helps AEK keep clean sheet
For Filipe Relvas, completing the full match in a winning Champions League return will have been an important personal moment. The Portuguese defender formed part of an AEK defensive unit that prevented LASK from scoring and ensured Marin goal remained decisive.
Keeping a clean sheet can be particularly valuable in the opening round of a European competition, where teams are still establishing rhythm and learning how the league phase may develop. AEK avoided the pressure of needing a second goal and managed the contest well enough to secure the 1-0 result.
The victory also carries symbolic importance because of the length of AEK absence from the competition. Their previous Champions League participation came in 2018/19, meaning the return in 2026/27 arrived after several seasons away from Europe most prestigious club tournament.
Beginning that return with a victory at home gives the Greek side an immediate sense of momentum and places them in a stronger position before the next round of league-phase fixtures. In a format where every result contributes directly to the overall standings, three points from the opening match can be especially valuable.
Two different wins on opening day
Aston Villa and AEK therefore achieved their victories in very different ways. Villa were involved in an open match containing five goals and several changes in momentum, while AEK relied on a first-half goal and a clean sheet.
Villa victory was built on attacking efficiency. Three goals before half-time gave them control of the result, even if Club Brugge made the final half hour uncomfortable by reducing the score to 3-2. AEK, by contrast, produced a much tighter performance and needed only Marin strike to secure the points.
Both outcomes were valuable for different reasons. Villa entered the Champions League as the reigning Europa League winners and immediately demonstrated that they can compete successfully away from home. AEK returned after a long absence and ensured the occasion ended with a victory rather than simply a celebration of being back in the tournament.
The early results also set an initial benchmark for the rest of the opening round. With the league-phase format rewarding every point collected from the beginning, both clubs have given themselves the strongest possible start.
European champions of last season start with confidence
For Aston Villa, the context of last season makes the result especially interesting. Winning the Europa League gave the Birmingham club a major European achievement and established confidence in knockout and continental football. The challenge this season is different, with the Champions League providing a stronger level of opposition and a new set of expectations.
The victory over Club Brugge therefore represents more than simply three points. It is the first evidence that Villa can carry their European form into the new competition and handle the demands of a difficult away fixture against national champions.
The fact that they conceded twice also provides areas for improvement, but winning away remains one of the most valuable results available in European competition. Taking maximum points in Belgium reduces pressure ahead of the next fixtures and gives Villa an immediate advantage in the standings.
Club Brugge, meanwhile, will be frustrated that their own responses were not enough. Vetlesen equalised quickly in the first half and Tresoldi gave the hosts another opportunity in the second, but conceding three goals before the interval ultimately left them with too much to recover.
AEK return with immediate reward
AEK situation carries a different emotional weight. The Greek side had waited since 2018/19 to return to the Champions League, and their first match back ended with both a victory and a clean sheet.
Marin goal in the 21st minute was enough to define the evening, while Relvas and the rest of the defence ensured LASK could not find an equaliser. In a competition where margins are often extremely small, the ability to protect a narrow lead is an important quality.
João Mário remained on the bench throughout the match, but AEK still featured a Portuguese presence from the start through Relvas, while Luís Godinho completed the Portuguese involvement as referee.
The 1-0 result gives AEK exactly the type of beginning they would have hoped for. After so many years away from the Champions League, winning the opening match immediately removes some of the pressure and gives the squad confidence that they can compete effectively in the league phase.
Major fixtures still to come on opening day
The first day of the 2026/27 Champions League does not end with the victories for Aston Villa and AEK. Four more matches are scheduled later, including two particularly high-profile encounters.
Real Madrid host Inter Milan in one of the biggest matches of the opening round, while FC Porto welcome Manchester City in another fixture involving two clubs with significant European ambitions.
Borussia Dortmund also face Villarreal, while Lille take on Real Betis. Those two matches complete the first day of action and will further shape the early league-phase standings.
The presence of several major clubs on the same evening means Aston Villa and AEK have already completed their work while others are still preparing to begin their campaigns. Both teams can do so knowing they have maximum points from their first matches.
Strong opening statements from Villa and AEK
The first results of the new Champions League season have therefore already produced two significant stories. Aston Villa have shown that last season Europa League triumph was not the end of their European momentum, while AEK Athens have returned to the competition after almost a decade and immediately secured a victory.
Villa 3-2 win in Belgium was the more dramatic of the two. McGinn scored the first goal of the 2026/27 Champions League, Vetlesen briefly equalised, and Buendia and Jackson gave the visitors a strong half-time lead before Tresoldi penalty created a tense finish.
AEK, meanwhile, needed only Marin first-half strike to defeat LASK. Relvas completed the full match as part of a clean-sheet performance, while the Greek club celebrated its return to Europe biggest club competition in the best possible way.
With the rest of the opening round still to unfold, both clubs have already achieved the most important objective available in their first fixture: three points. For Aston Villa, it was another successful European away night following last season Europa League triumph. For AEK, it was a winning return to a competition they had not played in since 2018/19.
The 2026/27 Champions League has therefore begun with goals, a comeback attempt, a historic return and two teams immediately establishing themselves in the league phase. Villa and AEK now wait to see how the rest of the opening round develops, but both can already look ahead to their next European fixtures from a position of strength.
