McCoist shellshocked by ‘unbelievable’ incident referee got wrong in Aston Villa win
Ally McCoist was left in awe as Aston Villa managed to beat Club Brugge 3-1 in their Champions League tie on Wednesday.
The Villans put up a fairly solid fight throughout the game with the dominance of Unai Emery’s men in the final 10 minutes of the clash seemingly what set them apart from their Belgian opposition.
Granted, luck was also on their side as Brandon Mechele decided to kick the ball into the back of his own net to send them 2-1 up but, if it wasn’t for Morgan Rogers’ perfect cross, that danger wouldn’t have even been there.
However, it wasn’t that moment which left McCoist gobsmacked from the tie.
McCoist left aghast after Tyrone Mings goal-line clearance
The only reason that the Villans were even in a place to go 2-1 up against Club Brugge was due to the emphatic defensive work of Tyrone Mings.
Emiliano Martinez was left in no man’s land by a cross that former Norwich City man Cristos Tzolis put into the box for Hans Vanaken but fortunately for the Argentina international, Mings was there to save the day.
The centre-back managed to get the end of his foot on the ball to turn the shot away from the net and keep the score level.
However, despite the ball hitting Mings last, the referee called it as a goal kick, this was this moment that left McCoist wowed by what he’d seen.
“What a cross that is, that’s absolutely magnificent, the header doesn’t do it justice,” he said while live on TNT Sports (4 March).
“Digne gets caught underneath it, by the way, I think that’s the save of the season by Tyrone Mings.
“That’s the save of the season, that’s unbelievable.”
BEST GOAL-LINE CLEARANCE EVER??? 😱
— Football on TNT Sports (@footballontnt) March 4, 2025
Tyrone Mings stops Hans Vanaken from giving Brugge the lead in SPECTACULAR style 🤯
📺 Watch the Champions League LIVE on @tntsports & @discoveryplusUK pic.twitter.com/Z82R6XPIMo
Mings is back to his best for Villa
The vast majority of Mings’ career has been full of turmoil due to things such as injuries.
The defender has suffered multiple several-month long spells on the sidelines and while many were worried for him a couple of months ago when he was taken off the pitch crying against West Ham United, it seems that he’s managed to stay fit.
And, that’s evidently nothing but good news for the Villans, who, without him today, could have been heading back home without any sort of advantage for the second leg whatsoever.
| Statistic | Number successfully completed |
| Clearances | 7 |
| Tackles | 1 |
| Ground duels won | 1 |
| Aerial duels won | 2 |
| Passes | 54 |
The Englishman formed a strong partnership with Ezri Konsa at the heart of Villa’s defence and as long as both can avoid getting injured, it’s hard to see why Emery’s men won’t be able to make a last-minute dash for the top four.
However, as with everything in football, nothing is guaranteed but one thing is for sure, if they play like they did today at Villa Park on 12 March, they could be booking their place in the quarter-finals of the Champions League.