Tyrone Mings faced a challenging return to action for Aston Villa during their Champions League match against Club Brugge on Wednesday, marking a difficult debut in the prestigious tournament. Mings was penalised for an unusual incident where he picked up a goal kick from goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez while in the penalty area. This peculiar penalty decision resulted in Hans Vanaken converting the spot-kick, giving Club Brugge an early 1-0 lead.
The incident occurred just five minutes into the second half. After Martinez dropped the ball inside his six-yard box, he passed it to Mings, who bent down to reposition it for the goalkeeper to retake. However, Mings was immediately penalised by the referee for handling the ball, leading to one of the most bizarre penalties in Champions League history. Despite his protests that he believed he was merely assisting Martinez, the referee, along with VAR, upheld the decision.
Aston Villa's players and fans were left stunned, especially considering that a similar incident went unpunished in the previous Champions League season. Arsenal's Gabriel Magalhaes had successfully repositioned the ball without facing a penalty after receiving a goal kick from David Raya against Bayern Munich. Following that match, Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta highlighted the referee's decision as an example of "common sense."
Villa's performance in the match was overshadowed by this singular moment, which will be a point of contention for both players and supporters moving forward. With the Champions League still offering opportunities for redemption, the team will look to regroup after this puzzling setback. For updates and highlights on Aston Villa FC's progress in the tournament, fans can stay tuned to reliable sources like MailOnline.