Marcus Rashford, a loanee from Manchester United, had a hard time making an impression when Aston Villa defeated Club Brugge in the first leg of their Champions League round of 16 match.
Tyrone Mings nodded the ball into Leon Bailey’s path, and he produced a beautiful finish to slide it into the bottom corner, giving Villa the lead early on.
Brugge didn’t lag for very long since Maxim De Cuyper quickly brought them back to parity. After Christos Tzolis made a good pass, the left-back moved into an inside position and fired into the bottom corner.
Despite creating the better opportunities and controlling the majority of the game, the home team was unable to overcome Villa’s tenacious defense. Unai Emery made a quadruple change in the 64th minute, removing Rashford and substituting Marco Asensio from his bench.
After Brandon Mechele headed Morgan Rogers’ cross into his own net, Villa took the lead against the flow of play. Soon after, Asensio extended his team’s lead from the penalty spot.
Prior to the second leg of the match, which will take place in Birmingham the following week, Villa has a foot in the quarterfinals.
Playing mostly on his preferred left side of the attacking line, Rashford was included in the starting lineup. The United loanee did not present much of a threat, with the exception of a strike in the first half that Brugge goalkeeper Simon Mignolet stopped.
His performance at Jan Breydel Stadium was subdued compared to his electrifying style since leaving Old Trafford in January.
Rashford touched the ball 35 times while he was on the field, and 23 of his 27 passes were completed by teammates.
He attempted to make contact with one long ball and one cross. The forward’s long ball was successful, but his cross did not reach its target.
Rashford only attempted two dribbles, finishing one. In addition, he lost the one aerial challenge he contested and only won one of the four ground duels he engaged in.
He failed to record a tackle or interception and lost the ball eight times.
Rashford is currently most successful as an impact substitute and is probably still recovering from his time on the United sidelines.