'Counting their lucky stars' - National media make Aston Villa Marco Asensio point after UCL win
Aston Villa will face Paris Saint-Germain in the quarter-finals of the Champions League after their wins against Club Brugge over two legs
It was another remarkable night for Aston Villa as Prince William watched their 3-0 victory over Club Brugge to qualify for the quarter-finals of the Champions League.
Coming away 3-1 winners in the first leg in Belgium last week, Unai Emery's side completed the job in front of a fully packed Villa Park on Wednesday night.
Marco Asensio came off the bench to score two of the goals as Ian Maatsen bagged his first goal in the competition.
After beating Bayern Munich 1-0 in the league phase, qualifying for the last eight will be talked about for years to come after Villa returned to the European stage for the first time in 42 years.
Emery will now return to a familiar place and look to make history when Villa take on Paris Saint-Germain over two legs.
Here, Birmingham Live has taken a look at how the events were reported elsewhere.
Marco Asensio sprinkles stardust to give Aston Villa tie against PSG
Charlotte Duncker of The Times wrote: "Aston Villa must be counting their lucky stars that Uefa rules mean their match-winning hero Marco Asensio can play against Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League quarter-finals. The on-loan forward made the difference off the bench again as Villa swept away Club Bruges to book a date with Unai Emery’s former club next month.
"Villa had looked laboured until the Spaniard came on. If they play like that in Paris they will most likely be overwhelmed. Only the PSG striker Ousmane Dembele, who is on the most ridiculous scoring streak of 20 goals this calendar year, has scored more in Europe’s top five leagues since Asensio made his debut for Villa last month. Asensio is the stardust that Emery has needed to ignite this up and down season and if they are to progress in this competition it will be the three-time Champions League winner who will no doubt be the deciding factor.
"Even one player down, the Belgian Pro League side were enjoying more of the ball and looked comfortable despite their disadvantage. Tyrone Mings ventured forward down the left and played a nice ball into Rashford, who controlled it well but missed the target as he looked for his first goal in a Villa shirt."
Aston Villa earn shot at greatness after setting up historic PSG showdown
The Guardian's Jonathan Wilson penned: "In reaching the Champions League quarter-finals, Unai Emery’s side have taken a step closer to being immortalised. Glory comes in many forms. Perhaps the best Aston Villa could hope for on Wednesday was a game of little drama. And yet, straightforward as it was, this was glorious, a night that in its outcome, if not the precise details, was epochal, marking Villa’s return to the European elite.
"For Villa this was one of the nights fans yearn for, a night of destiny, a night to be spoken of for a long time to come. Club Brugge had probed enough early on to provoke concern, but the tie was in effect settled by the 16th-minute dismissal of Kyriani Sabbe for catching Marcus Rashford as he bore down on goal. In his final months at Manchester United it had been easy to forget what Rashford offers, but here was further evidence of his threat running in behind opposing defences, and perhaps also of his experience in inducing the foul.
"It’s a sign of Villa’s status that one of the players they could bring on was a three-time Champions League winner in Marco Asensio. It wasn’t that Villa were exactly under pressure before his arrival, but his movement and sharpness of finishing turned what could have been an anticlimax into a glorious procession. It’s 42 years since Villa reached a similar stage of Europe’s premier competition. Walk along the Trinity Road side of the ground and there are pictures of the team that defeated Bayern in the 1982 European Cup final."
Unai Emery's side set up Champions League quarter-final clash with PSG as Marco Asensio keeps up stellar form with brace
Tom Collomosse of the Daily Mail added: " Nobody would have tipped Aston Villa to outlast Liverpool and Manchester City in this season's Champions League. Yet here they are in the quarter-finals, preparing to take on Paris Saint-Germain, former club of manager Unai Emery and the current employers of Villa's match-winner Marco Asensio.
"Cheered on by the Prince of Wales, Villa swept Club Bruges aside though they will be underdogs against PSG, so impressive in beating Liverpool over two legs. If Emery can find his way past PSG, it will feel significant. He was in charge of the French giants in 2017, when a 4-0 lead over Barcelona was erased by an astonishing 6-1 defeat in the second leg of their last-16 tie.
"Emery has admitted it was the worst moment of his coaching career. Victory over his former club next month would surely be the best, notwithstanding the four Europa League titles he has won. Leading 3-1 from the first leg, Villa had every reason to be confident and they certainly gave it the big build up. There were pre-match fireworks and a huge banner in the Holte End paying tribute to the club's rich history."
Mings, McGinn and Watkins symbolise Aston Villa’s rise to the Champions League quarter-final
The Athletic's Jacob Tanswell wrote: "Take Tyrone Mings back to 2012. He was driving a Citroen Saxo, a £100 dirt-cheap car and engulfed in the grind of being a late teen. Mings had fading dreams of becoming a footballer while accepting the cold reminder that he needed to start earning money. He was a barman and then a mortgage advisor, playing for Yate Town in the Division One South & West league before moving to Chippenham Town.
"It was in 2012 that he feigned sickness to go on trial at Ipswich Town. That year he broke into the professional ranks, having considered throwing in the towel just months before. Take John McGinn back to 2012. He had received his first semblance of success, joining St Mirren’s first team on an unglamorous pre-season tour of North England, consisting of teams such as Accrington Stanley and Carlisle United.
"Take Ollie Watkins back to 2012. He was the youngest of the three and had reached the first touchpoint of an emerging career, signing schoolboy forms at Exeter City after leaving school. Nine years earlier, he failed a trial at the club. Watkins was a raw, though scratchy, wide forward, prolific at youth team level but erratic in his overall game. Aston Villa’s rise can be symbolised through the prism of three players. They each characterise an unlikely ascent, boasting underdog careers and a determination to elevate their levels in keeping with their team."