Ross Barkley’s goal in the 85th minute gave Aston Villa a 3-2 victory against RB Leipzig on Tuesday, moving the visitors up to third place in the standings and increasing their chances of finishing in the top eight. John McGinn gave Villa the lead after only 153 seconds, but Leipzig equalized halfway through the first half when Lois Openda took advantage of a defensive blunder. Nine minutes after Jhon Duran’s stunning strike in the 53rd minute was cancelled out by a goal from Christoph Baumgartner, Barkley, the substitute, scored two minutes after entering the game.
Barkley’s first Champions League goal was a deflected long-range strike, and Villa is now on course to finish in the top eight as they make their 41-year comeback to Europe’s elite competition.
The goal “felt amazing, because it’s been a bit of a dry spell for me,” McGinn said on the UEFA website.
“I think over 90 minutes we were the better team — Leipzig’s goals were against the run of play.”
Barkley said, “That’s the role of the lads on the bench,” to Amazon Prime.com. “I’m happy to come off the bench and score the winner.”
“They all count, don’t they?” Of his deflected winner, Barkley remarked.
The top eight teams bypass an extra round of elimination matches and qualify straight.
This can happen.” Next year, we’ll have another opportunity, and we’ll need to grow from our mistakes.
Villa ended an eight-game losing streak by winning two consecutive Premier League games before traveling to Germany.
Leipzig, on the other hand, was very much in the last-chance saloon, as their five straight losses placed them in danger of missing the knockout stages, something they had only done twice in the six seasons under the previous model.
Villa manager Unai Emery encouraged his team to “break our limit” as they returned to his favorite European stage, and the visitors did just that, beginning at a breakneck pace.
Three minutes in, Ollie Watkins headed a superb header into McGinn’s path, and he hammered home from close range to give Villa the lead.
Villa’s pace and accuracy overpowered the slow-moving hosts in the first fifteen minutes, and McGinn’s goal was only one of several chances, including fantastic chances for Watkins and Youri Tielemans.
Leipzig’s youthful team has struggled this season, especially in Europe, but they were lucky when Openda tied the score after 27 minutes thanks to a bad defensive blunder.
Openda was able to slide through, catch a high ball before it bounced, and slot neatly into an empty net because Villa’s center-backs and goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez held it off.
Emery sent on John Duran off the bench at halftime since Leipzig was leading, and eight minutes into the game, the Colombian put Villa up with an amazing goal.
On the break, Duran was fed by Tielemans. He picked up the ball and dipped a shot from deep outside the penalty arc, eluding Leipzig goaltender Peter Gulacsi.
Minutes later, Duran appeared to have scored once more, but VAR disallowed his attempt for the smallest of offsides.
The home team responded a few seconds later as Baumgartner volleyed Leipzig even after Openda broke through on the counter and chipped in.
He scored Villa’s first Champions League goal with a deflected strike, completing the team’s amazing comeback to the European scene.
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