John Townley's Aston Villa player ratings after 3-0 win at Young Boys as duo run Champions League show
Aston Villa have marked their return to Europe’s elite club competition with a 3-0 win over Swiss champions BSC Young Boys at the Wankdorf Stadium.
Youri Tielemams broke the deadlock in the 27th minute, before Jacob Ramsey doubled Villa’s lead just over 10 minutes later. VAR overturned an Ollie Watkins goal, claiming the ball hit his hand, before Jhon Duran also saw his strike chalked off in the second half for a handball from Amadou Onana, who crashed in Villa's third of the night in the 86th minute.
It was a tentative first 20 minutes for Villa as Young Boys' Ebrima Colley and Filip Ugrinic both came close to opening the scoring. But after John McGinn’s had Villa’s first chance, Unai Emery’s side grew in confidence and soon took control.
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Austin MacPhee’s set-piece planning paid off again as the visitor’s first corner led to Tielemans thumping the ball past Young Boys goalkeeper David von Ballmoos from inside the box. A defensive calamity from Young Boys allowed Villa to go two goals ahead as their goalkeeper appeared to foul Watkins before Ramsey finished from close range.
Watkins thought he bagged his first Champions League goal in the 43rd minute by converting with aplomb after seeing his initial effort blocked. But VAR overturned his and Duran's goal later in the second period for handballs.
Duran, who came on for Watkins in the 60th minute, was cautioned after celebrating his goal right in front of the Young Boys ultras.
Villa can now look forward to back-to-back home clashes against Bayern Munich and Bologna in the Champions League league phase.
READ MORE: Young Boys v Aston Villa in pictures
Player ratings
Emi Martinez
Despite Villa's control in the match, Martinez still faced lots of shots and had plenty to do. It's the sign of a top goalkeeper that he makes his job look so easy. 8
Lamare Bogarde
The young full-back was tested by Young Boys' Colley, but he dealt with the winger's threat well for the most part. Bogarde was replaced by Diego Carlos at the break. 6
Ezri Konsa
Following Carlos' introduction, Konsa moved to right-back after a strong first half at centre-back alongside Pau Torres. Nothing went past Konsa in the second half - he shut the wing down. 8
Pau Torres
Torres was excellent for Villa tonight in and out of possession. He knows what it takes to go far in the Champions League having reached the semi-finals with Emery in 2022. 8
Lucas Digne
Digne supported the attack well and provided a number of crosses from the left flank. The France international has impressed so much at the start of the season that he is keeping out Villa's £37.5m summer signing Ian Maatsen. 8
Amadou Onana
Onana got stuck in from the first minute and may well have picked up a few bumps and bruises, but played a key role for Villa tonight. The Young Boys midfielders struggled to handle his physicality. He has now scored three goals in as many away games this season. 9
Youri Tielemans
Tielemans continued his fine start to the campaign by bagging Villa's first goal in the Champions League. On a difficult surface, his technical ability shone. He and Onana ran the show. 9
John McGinn
McGinn operated off the right again tonight. Villa's first chance of the game fell to the Scot, but his effort from the edge of the box in the 24th minute. Villa's skipper gave his teammates encouragement to impose themselves in the game after a quiet start. 8
Jacob Ramsey
After a season of struggles last term, Ramsey will be delighted with his contribution at the start of this campaign, now capped with a goal in the Champions League. Having already provided two assists in four Premier League appearances, he is linking well with Digne and Rogers in his position, advanced on the left. 8
Morgan Rogers
Rogers played a fantastic ball into Watkins' path in the 29th minute, but the striker couldn't get a clean connection on his strike. Six minutes later, Rogers was probably too unselfish when he tried to find Watkins in the box instead of shooting with his left foot. 7
Ollie Watkins
Watkins will be gutted his goal didn't count before half-time. It was an excellent finish from the forward, but VAR claimed the ball hit his hand. It looked harsh. He led the line well and looks to be playing with more energy and poise compared to the first weeks of the season. 7
SUBS
Diego Carlos (for Bogarde, 45'): The Brazilian was assured in his defending and used the ball effectively. Not bad at all considering it was his first appearance of the campaign. 7
Jhon Duran (for Watkins, 60'): Duran celebrated his goal in front of the Young Boys ultras and was booked before it was overturned by VAR. Villa have an incredible talent to call of the bench in Duran. 7
Ross Barkley (for Tielemans, 87'): N/A
Emi Buendia (for Barkley, 87'): N/A
Ian Maatsen (for Digne, 87'): N/A
Subs not used: Gauci, Zych, Nedeljkovic, Swinkels, Young, Bailey.
GOALS
Young Boys: N/A
Aston Villa: Tielemans (27'), Ramsey (38'), Onana (86')