How a ‘moment of madness’ led to the most ‘bizarre’ Champions League penalty

It’s a mistake that will live long in the memory, but one which Aston Villa defender Tyrone Mings will want to forget quickly.

The 31-year-old conceded perhaps the strangest penalty imaginable in the Champions League on Wednesday, ultimately condemning Aston Villa to a 1-0 defeat against Club Brugge.

With the scores level at 0-0 in the 50th minute, Mings suffered a momentary lapse in concentration, described by manager Unai Emery as the “biggest mistake” he had witnessed in his career.

Villa goalkeeper Emiliano Martínez had taken a short goal-kick to Mings, who had been looking away from the action.

Clearly not thinking the goal-kick had been taken, Mings picked the ball up with his hands and retook it himself.

Club Brugge players quickly spotted the mistake and rushed to protest with the referee. The official then pointed to the spot and the penalty was upheld by the Video Assistant Referee (VAR).

Brugge captain Hans Vanaken scored the resulting penalty to hand Villa its first defeat of this Champions League campaign.

“It’s the biggest mistake I witnessed in my career,” Villa manager Unai Emery said, per AP. “It has only happened one time in all my life. Today.”

Former Premier League striker Peter Crouch described the incident as “a moment of madness.

“Even if you don’t think it is live, you don’t put your hand on it,” Crouch said while working as a pundit for TNT Sports.

Fellow pundit and former Premier League defender Alan Hutton said it was “very bizarre.”

He added: “You’re scratching your head looking at it.”

Mings was making only his second start for Villa since suffering an anterior cruciate ligament injury in 2023, one which saw him sidelined for 14 months.

The defender, who has played 18 times for England, has not commented publicly since the mistake. He was taken off in the 66th minute after also picking up a yellow card earlier in the game.

Villa defender Ezri Konsa said he was confused by the decision after the match had ended.

“I didn’t see it, I just saw the players running to the referee saying handball,” he told TNT Sports. “It kills the game.”

A very similar indecent occurred in last year’s Champions League compeition, during the quarterfinal between Arsenal and Bayern Munich.

That time it was Arsenal defender Gabriel Magalhães who handled the ball after goalkeeper David Raya had taken a goal-kick. The referee decided not to award a penalty on that occasion, allowing Arsenal to play on.

Elsewhere in the Champions League on Wednesday, Barcelona thrashed Red Star Belgrade 5-2, thanks in part to a brace from Robert Lewandowski.

However, the win was slightly overshadowed after Barcelona defender Pau Cubarsi suffered a serious facial injury which required stitches.

Cubarsi was accidentally kicked in the face after stooping low to clear a cross with his head. Barcelona posted a photo of Cubarsi on social media after the game, with the youngster putting his thumb up.

“Everything for Barça,” read the caption on Barcelona’s Instagram.

Meanwhile, both Arsenal and Paris Saint-Germain suffered defeats in Europe.

PSG conceded a stoppage-time winner in its 2-1 defeat to Atlético Madrid. Currently 25th in the table, the French side has now failed to win in its last three Champions League games and is at risk of being eliminated from the tournament unless results improve in its remaining four matches.

Arsenal, meanwhile, fell to defeat against Inter Milan, courtesy of Hakan Çalhanoğlu’s first-half penalty. The Premier League club has slipped to 12th in the Champions League table as a result.