Champions League: Young Boys 0 Aston Villa 3 - Report

On the night Unai Emery wanted his team to honour the memory of one of the club’s most famous No.8s, it was a player who currently wears that number, Youri Tielemans, who opened the scoring to set Villa on their way to a comfortable win over Young Boys.

The club’s current Brummie hero, Jacob Ramsey, then doubled the advantage and not even Villa having two goals chalked off by VAR in controversial fashion, the first of which saw Ollie Watkins punished for what appeared a phantom handball, could prevent it being Villa’s night. Amadou Onana thumped home a late third. Shaw, whose death on Monday at the age of 63 had overshadowed Villa's return to Europe's elite club competition, would have loved it.

The European Cup winner’s name was sung throughout by the 1,600 travelling supporters, while his picture appeared on the Stadion Wankdorf big screen during a tribute prior to kick-off.

Emery and his players are aiming to write their own glorious chapter 42 years on from the club’s finest triumph and this was an excellent start, albeit tougher tests are to come. Next up is Bayern Munich at home.

Emery, who complained in his programme notes prior to Saturday’s win over Everton about the number of international fixtures, had addressed concerns about player burnout in his pre-match press conference. In that context, changes were expected.

Instead, the manager named the same XI which had started against the Toffees just 72 hours previously. Leon Bailey was fit enough to feature on the bench but Jaden Philogene was missing.

Another talking point in the build-up had been the pitch and Villa looked a little tentative at first on the artificial surface.

Filip Ugrinic had the first effort on target of the night for the hosts with a free-kick aimed straight at Emi Martinez but the goalkeeper had more trouble with Ebrima Colley’s well struck effort soon after.

The hosts were gaining in confidence and none more so than Colley, who had Martinez beaten with a curling 25-yard effort which did not quite dip in time to go under the bar.

Villa finally threatened at the midway point of the half when John McGinn fired just over after Watkins had headed down a long ball and the skipper then played a big part in the opener.

Collecting Lucas Digne’s pass from a corner, the Scotland international lofted the ball to the back post where an unmarked Tielemans had time to take a touch before firing his shot into the bottom corner.

Villa quickly went in search of another and Morgan Rogers almost created one with a perfect flick into the path of Watkins but in his eagerness to get toward goal the striker outran the ball. His eventual left-footed shot was tame.

But more chances were coming and it was another run by Rogers which led to Villa’s chaotic second.

The home defence appeared to have cut out the danger when the forward’s attempted cross for Watkins was blocked. But Mohamed Camara, from inside his own box, then inexplicably played the ball back to goalkeeper David von Ballmoos and Watkins nipped in to steal it before being clattered, referee Georgi Kabakov opting to allow the advantage as Ramsey, with everyone else expecting a penalty to be awarded, found the empty net via the post.

If Villa had the officials to thank in that instance, they were soon left fuming when Watkins had what appeared a perfectly good third chalked off two minutes before the break.

Rogers and Ramsey combined on the left and though Watkins’ initial shot, from the latter’s cross, was blocked by Banhie Zoukrou, the striker composed himself to fire home right-footed. Yet while replays appeared to show the ball had hit Watkins’ chest, French VAR Willy Delajod decided it had struck the arm and Villa’s lead went back to two.

The frustration, or the break, did not do much to disrupt their rhythm, Rogers firing over after a powerful run at the home defence, Tielemans then firing a free-kick just over the bar.

Ramsey brought a sharp save from Von Ballmoos with a shot from just inside the box, while there were barely 20 minutes remaining before Martinez was called into action again, diving to his left to push away Silvere Ganvoula’s shot.

Then came more VAR controversy when substitute Jhon Duran stroked home but the goal was again disallowed for handball, this time by Onana on the halfway line in the build-up.

It proved a little embarrassing for Duran, who was booked for standing on the advertising hoardings in front of the home fans.

Onana made up for it by thumping a low shot into the bottom corner from 25 yards out to cap an encouraging night.

Young Boys (4-4-2): Von Ballmoos, Athekame, Camara, Zoukrou, Hadjam (Conte 63), Colley (Virginius 63), Niasse (Elia HT), Lauper, Monteiro (Males 83), Ugrinic, Ganvoula (Itten 83) Subs not used: Lakomy, Imeri, Chaiwa, Benito, Blum, Keller (gk), Marzino (gk).

Villa (4-2-3-1): Martinez, Bogarde (Carlos HT), Konsa, Pau, Digne (Maatsen 88), Onana, Tielemans (Barkley 88), McGinn, Ramsey, Rogers (Buendia 88), Watkins Subs not used: Nedeljkovic, Swinkels, Young, Bailey, Duran, Gauci (gk), Zych (gk).