Alysson won a penalty and made the third, and Aston Villa have three wins from three in the Champions League
Viking had held Bayern Munich eight days earlier, but Villa were 3-0 up before Peter Christiansen’s late volley cost them top spot in the league phase.
Oct 22, 2026
Aston Villa paid Grêmio a reported £8.7 million for Alysson in January, and Unai Emery has said it will take patience to unlock what he can do. On Wednesday night at Villa Park he was the best player on the pitch. The 20-year-old Brazilian won the penalty for Villa’s second goal and made the third, and Villa beat Viking 3-1 for three wins from three in the Champions League.
Viking are the Norwegian champions, and on 13 October they had held Bayern Munich 3-3 in Stavanger. Villa never let them get going like that.
Barkley and Buendía put Villa in control
Villa looked makeshift on paper, with João Gomes filling in at right-back. It didn’t show. Gomes had a cross deflected onto the underside of the bar early on, and Villa kept coming.
The opener came from a set piece in the 23rd minute. Ibrahim Mbaye swung in a corner and Ross Barkley headed it in. Emiliano Buendía then wasted two decent headed chances before making up for it from the spot in the 37th minute, after a VAR check found that Alysson had been clipped in the box.
Arild Østbø made eight saves in the Viking goal, and Villa finished with 21 shots to Viking’s 10.
Alysson’s run and a late Viking volley
The third was all Alysson. He picked the ball up deep, ran at the Viking defence and crossed, and Henrik Heggheim turned it into his own net in the 62nd minute. That put Villa top of the league phase, and the crowd let everyone know about it.
It didn’t last. Peter Christiansen volleyed in Kristoffer Askildsen’s cross in the 84th minute, the goal stood after a VAR check, and Villa slipped back to second behind PSG.
Asked about Alysson and Mbaye afterwards, Emery called it “a step forward for both players”. Viking coach Morten Jensen was blunter about the first half: “they were all over us.”
Twelve home wins in a row, and Barcelona next
Villa opened this campaign by winning 3-2 in Bruges, then put six past Fenerbahçe without reply. They have now won their last 12 home games in major European competition, which equals the longest run by an English side this century. They are also the first Europa League holders to win their first three Champions League matches since Manchester United in 2017.
The next one is harder. Villa go to Barcelona on 3 November.