Barkley and Buendía score as Aston Villa beat Viking 3-1

Aston Villa beat Viking 3-1 at Villa Park in the Champions League, with goals from Ross Barkley and Emiliano Buendía. Villa’s dominance in the first half had virtually secured the result before Henrik Heggheim put through his own goal. Peter Christiansen later pulled one back with a late volley. The win gave Aston Villa a third victory in three Champions League matches.

Unai Emery’s side came into the game after thrashing Fenerbahce and then winning at Newcastle. The fixture had been expected to be a routine Villa victory, and the opening half underlined the home side’s control. Emery gave 18-year-old Ibrahim Mbaye the left-sided role in place of the slightly injured Johan Manzambi. Pau Torres, Barkley and John McGinn also benefited from the manager’s rotation.

After two corners, Mbaye swung in a delivery from the left. Barkley rose highest and powered a header across the goalkeeper at the near post to open the scoring. Buendía then converted a penalty after a video review concluded that Alysson had been fouled unnecessarily in the box by Viking captain Zlatko Tripic. Shortly after the half-hour, the Argentinian also missed a chance from a McGinn corner, allowing the goalkeeper to save when Villa seemed poised for a second.

The pre-match display held up by the Holte End read: «We’ve conquered before, we’re prepared for more.» It referred to Aston Villa’s 1982 European triumph, while the current side is giving the impression of a Champions League contender, the match report said. Viking, meanwhile, arrived with the momentum of a domestic title won after a 34-year wait and had already shown it could compete in the tournament.

Viking looked more assertive after the break. Moi saw a shot blocked, while Villa found more room on the counter. Alysson got beyond Jesper Daland and his attempted cross deflected off Heggheim into the net, leaving goalkeeper Østbø with no chance. Alejandro Garnacho then had an effort saved before Christiansen struck an excellent volley for Viking. That late goal denied Villa temporary top spot in the 36-team table, which the side would have held until the strike. Viking had previously faced Premier League opposition in 2002, when Chelsea beat them at Stamford Bridge before the Norwegian club overturned the tie in the return and progressed to the second round of the Uefa Cup.