Aston Villa beat BG Pathum 3-1 to secure back-to-back victories on their pre-season tour of Asia, although injuries to Alejandro Garnacho and John McGinn took some shine off the result.
Emi Buendía, Victor Lindelöf and Boubacar Kamara scored for Unai Emery’s side in Thailand.
Villa made a confident start and opened the scoring after 12 minutes. Matty Cash helped create the opportunity down the right before finding Buendía, who finished to score for the second successive game.
Lindelöf doubled the advantage later in the first half. Alysson delivered an excellent corner and the Sweden international powered his header home after returning to central defence.
Garnacho then suffered Villa’s first concern of the afternoon. The winger collided with Ryan Edwards and left the pitch with a bloodied mouth before half-time, with George Hemmings replacing him.
Aston Villa beat BG Pathum after strong first half
Villa continued to control the game after Emery made several changes at the interval. McGinn almost produced a spectacular third when his long-range effort struck the crossbar.
The biggest positive arrived on the hour mark. Kamara came on for his first appearance in seven months and scored almost immediately, sweeping home to give Villa a three-goal advantage.
His return gives Emery another important midfield option before the competitive campaign begins. ReadAstonVilla’s pre-match preview highlighted the importance of carefully rebuilding the fitness of returning senior players, particularly with tougher opposition waiting later in pre-season.
Alysson also produced another encouraging display. The Brazilian played a role in both first-half goals, caused problems with his direct running and provided the corner for Lindelöf’s header.
McGinn and Garnacho injuries provide concern
Villa’s afternoon became more complicated when McGinn landed awkwardly on his left knee following a foul. He initially walked away from the incident, but Emery immediately signalled for his captain to come off.
ReadAstonVilla reported from John Townley’s update that Emery chose not to take any chances with McGinn. Villa have not yet provided an assessment of the midfielder’s condition.
BG Pathum later pulled one back, but Villa comfortably saw out the closing stages to record another 3-1 victory on tour. BirminghamLive’s match notebook also highlighted Kamara’s successful comeback alongside the concerns surrounding McGinn and Garnacho.
The level of opposition now increases considerably. Villa’s official tour schedule confirms Bayern Munich await in Hong Kong on Friday, before Emery’s squad continue building towards the new season.
For Villa, another victory and Kamara’s return provided plenty of encouragement. The immediate priority, however, will be establishing whether McGinn and Garnacho can take part in the next stage of the tour.
