Aston Villa fans ‘baffled’ as UEFA make mistake in Rogers decision v Club Brugge
Aston Villa were surprised to see Morgan Rogers remain on the pitch for 90 minutes against Club Brugge despite a largely quiet evening.
The Villans took an excellent 3-1 win away from Belgium thanks to a late own goal and a composed penalty from Marco Asensio.
Despite being under the cosh for large spells, Rogers’ cross was turned into his own net by Brandon Mechele, who helped to paper over the cracks of a generally poor showing from the Englishman.
This performance against the Black and Blues makes the UEFA announcement after the full time whistle all the more baffling.
Rogers wins MOTM against Club Brugge
It is fair to say that it came as a surprise when Unai Emery opted to make changes and the 22-year-old remained on the pitch.
This saw Marcus Rashford hooked instead despite putting in yet another positive performance, despite failing to score or assist.
It was ultimately these changes from the Spanish head coach that made the difference for the away side, scoring two in the final eight minutes at Jan Breydelstadion.
Despite Leon Bailey scoring the opener, Matty Cash winning a late penalty and Asensio dispatching from 12 yards, it was none of this trio that was awarded the Man of the Match award.
Neither was it Tyrone Mings, despite a sensational goal line clearance which had a telling impact on the result.
Instead, UEFA opted to hand the award to Rogers on the night despite him failing to have much of an impact besides the cross which ended in the own goal.
It is fair to say that this came as a surprise to the travelling fans and those watching from home.
UEFA get Rogers verdict wrong after Aston Villa v Club Brugge
It is genuinely bizarre that the Champions League organisers would opt to hand the award to the attacking midfielder despite a pretty average showing.
By the England international’s usual standards, he left plenty to be desired against the Pro League outfit, which begs the question, why did he win the Man of the Match award?
| Stat | Morgan Rogers v Club Brugge |
| Pass accuracy (%) | 68 |
| Chances created | 0 |
| Shots | 0 |
| Cross success (%) | 0 |
| Duels lost | 10 |
That is one that no Villa fan can answer given the number of players on the pitch who were generally better on the night than the ex-Manchester City youngster.
The likes of Mings or Bailey would have proven to be much more popular choices and would have been more reflective of the win.
Ultimately, the Villa faithful won’t care now that they’ve got a two goal advantage to take back to Villa Park in hope of securing a quarter final spot.