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Aston Villa player compared to Franz Beckenbauer after what he did vs Club Brugge
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- Aston Villa player compared to Franz Beckenbauer after what he did vs Club Brugge
Dean Ashton heaped incredible praise on Pau Torres after Aston Villa beat Club Brugge on Tuesday.
The centre-back has been labelled the Villans' Man of the Match after providing two assists at the Jan Breydel Stadium on 8 September.
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It was a nervy game for the Lions as they defended their one-goal lead for most of the second half, but eventually won 3-2.
Torres stood out for his command on the ball as Villa got their first win of the season against Brugge.
The Spain international hasn't had the best of starts to the campaign, but showcased his quality in Belgium .
With the 29-year-old playing a prominent role against the Jupiler Pro League club, he was subsequently compared to Franz Beckenbauer.
Everything Dean Ashton said about Pau Torres display vs Club Brugge
Torres arguably stood out for Villa against Brugge and deserves all the praise, making 10 defensive contributions, four recoveries and blocking one shot, as per Sofascore .
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Former West Ham United striker Ashton cheekily likened the centre-back's display to that of Beckenbauer, the legendary German defender.
Ashton was impressed with the Spanish star's passing range at the Jan Breydel Stadium as he created one big chance and recorded four key passes.
Torres' ability to drive forward with the ball and keep possession, recording 83 per cent passing accuracy and two progressive carries, certainly played a key role in the Lions' Champions League victory.
Speaking on talkSPORT 2 on 8 September, Ashton said: "I'm actually going to go with Torres [for Man of the Match]. He was brilliant defensively, outstanding defensively.
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"And I cheekily said he was like Beckenbauer. But honestly, the way he drove a couple of defence-splitting passes. He's a terrific player when he's like that.
"When he's driving through the defence and starting to open up the opposition, because he has done that. I thought it was a proper quality centre-half performance."
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Playing away at Brugge was always going to be a tough first test for Villa.
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Having got the three points, the Villans will surely feel they can get the better of Fenerbahce and Viking FK at home next.
However, the Lions will then travel to Camp Nou to face Barcelona before travelling to Istanbul for a notoriously tough contest against Galatasaray.
Villa also play Paris Saint-Germain , Borussia Dortmund and Slavia Praha in the league phase of the competition, and it remains to be seen whether they can qualify automatically to the next round.
