Champions League: Former Bundesliga strikers Jackson and Jović help their clubs to opening day wins

Nicolas Jackson’s Aston Villa and Luka Jovic’s AEK Athens started the Champions League campaign with huge wins.

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Former FC Bayern striker Nicolas Jackson scored his first Aston Villa goal as Unai Emery’s side started their Champions League campaign with a 3-2 victory away at Club Brugge.

As they did in the Europa League final against Freiburg last season, the Premier League side raced to a comfortable lead early in the game. John McGinn scored this season’s first Champions League goal before Emi Buendia and Jackson extended their lead to 3-1 by half-time.

Both Buendia (Bayer Leverkusen) and Jackson (Bayern) spent a season in the Bundesliga on loan deals. Brugge reduced the deficit with a penalty-kick strike by Germany U21 international Nicolò Tresoldi in the hour mark, but the visitors defended their slender lead to get relief from a scoreless Premier League start.

Meanwhile, AEK Athens recorded a rare Champions League victory against debutants LASK. Razvan Marin scored the only goal of the game with a brilliant free-kick in the first-half.

Former Bundesliga stars Lovro Majer and Luka Jović combined for the second goal after the restart, but the ex-Frankfurt striker was denied a first-ever Champions League goal for an offside call. Saša Kalajdžić had the best chance for the visitors in injury-time, but the former Stuttgart striker’s header from close range narrowly missed the target.

Borussia Dortmund host Villarreal in one of Tuesday’s four games at the usual kickoff time. Niko Kovac’s side recorded a 4-0 victory when the two clubs met for the first time in last season’s league phase round.