AFCON 2025
Ross Barkley came off the bench to net a late winner to secure a crucial win for Aston Villa as they defeated Leipzig 3-2 in a five-goal thriller in Germany.
Captain, John McGinn got Villa off to a flying start inside three minutes after guiding the ball past Peter Gulacsi. Leipzig equalized after an error from Emi Martinez was capitalized on by Lois Openda who rounded him to slot the ball into an empty net.
Substitute, Jhon Duran restored Villa’s lead curling a stunning long range shot over Gulasci seven minutes after the restart. Duran had the ball in the net again but was ruled out for offside.
Leipzig equalized again just after the hour mark with Christoph Baumgartner on hand to finish an Openda cross into the far corner. The hosts had the opportunity to take the lead for the first time in the match which was squandered by Openda who failed to convert.
The miss cost Leipzig as Ross Barkley’s shot took a huge deflection off Lukas Klostermann and past Gulasci in the 85th minute to ensure Villa returned to England with all three points.
The win puts an end to Villa’s losing streak on the road and lifts them to third on the UCL standings while Leipzig were eliminated from the competition.
