'Farcical' end to Mings' Champions League debut

It was a Champions League debut to hide for Tyrone Mings.

The Aston Villa defender, returning from 14 months retired with a genu injury, was being hailed pre-match for completing a travel from Chippenham Town to the Champions League.

He ended it making unwanted headlines aft conceding 1 of the astir bizarre penalties the contention volition person ever seen.

Mings’ handball, erstwhile helium was penalised for picking up Martinez's goal-kick successful the box, talented Brugge a penalty, a 1-0 win, and led to Villa’s archetypal European decision of the campaign.

BBC Sport’s Chris Sutton described it arsenic a "brain freeze", erstwhile Leeds guardant Lucy Ward said connected TNT it was a "shambles" and "farcical", portion ex-England striker Peter Crouch called it a "moment of madness".

There was archetypal disorder connected 50 minutes erstwhile referee Tobias Stieler's whistle stopped Villa goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez from taking a goal-kick.

The disorder lone grew erstwhile helium pointed towards the punishment spot - until the tv replays showed what defender Mings had conscionable done - arsenic a video adjunct referee (VAR) cheque confirmed the decision.

Martinez had tapped a goal-kick to Mings wrong the punishment country but the erstwhile Ipswich defender simply picked the shot up.

Mings had intelligibly not realised the footwear had already been taken and that the shot was successful play. He was penalised for his mistake and Hans Vanaken stepped up to occurrence location what turned retired to beryllium the victor from the punishment spot.

It is not the archetypal clip the Champions League has seen specified an incidental but Arsenal escaped being punished against Bayern Munich successful past season's quarter-final first-leg.

In an astir identical incident, defender Gabriel handled a walk from David Raya wrong the punishment country - again not realising his keeper had taken the goal-kick and that the shot was successful play.

But the Gunners were allowed to instrumentality the footwear again. Then Bayern manager Thomas Tuchel reacted furiously and said the referee had told his players helium didn't grant the punishment due to the fact that it was "a kid's mistake".

Aston Villa manager Unai Emery did not blasted the referee for the decision, contempt being progressive successful a lengthy treatment with officials during the match.

He said: "We played a bully archetypal half. The 2nd fractional the mistake changed everything.

"The cardinal was the mistake we made."

Villa defender Ezri Konsa, added: "It is portion of football. Our archetypal nonaccomplishment successful the Champions League and we person to determination on, we cant beryllium excessively down astir it.

"I didn't spot it, I conscionable saw the players moving to the referee saying handball.

"It kills the game. If it is simply a handball, a deliberate one, wherefore not springiness give him a 2nd yellow? It is simply a mistake but we person to larn from it."

Former Aston Villa defender Stephen Warnock said connected BBC Sport: "Arsenal got distant with doing the aforesaid happening against Bayern Munich successful the Champions League past play - possibly this clip the referee has seen that the Brugge players are closing Mings down?

"I don't deliberation Tyrone Mings has looked astatine Emi Martinez astatine each erstwhile helium took the goal-kick, which is wherefore helium thinks helium tin prime it up due to the fact that helium does not cognize it has been taken."

Sutton, speaking connected BBC Radio 5 live, said: "That's ridiculous. It is brainsick from Mings, perfectly crazy.

"What is helium thinking? It's a encephalon frost from Mings. Tyrone Mings mightiness person done it erstwhile helium was three."

Crouch added connected TNT: "It was very, precise bizarre.

"Even if you don’t deliberation it is live, you don’t enactment your manus connected it. It is simply a infinitesimal of madness. The infinitesimal helium did it we each shouted that was a penalty."

It was a nightmare extremity to what had begun arsenic a imagination evening for Villa's 31-year-old defender Mings who became the archetypal Englishman to concede a punishment connected his Champions League debut.

The erstwhile Ipswich and Bournemouth defender was making his archetypal quality successful the competition, having lone precocious returned from 14 months retired with a cruciate ligament injury.

The England planetary was taken disconnected for Pau Torres conscionable 14 minutes later, but Villa were incapable to retrieve arsenic their cleanable commencement to the Champions League was ended.

The Villans person 9 points from 4 Champions League matches though, and with 4 much near they stay successful with a bully accidental of qualification for the last-16.

Mings joined Ipswich Town successful 2012 for £10,000 from Southern League nine Chippenham Town.

Two years aboriginal helium moved to Bournemouth for £8m earlier joining Aston Villa for £20m successful 2019.