Aston Villa continued their unbeaten pre-season tour of Asia with a 3-1 victory over BG Pathum United as Boubacar Kamara marked his long-awaited return with a goal.
Emi Buendía opened the scoring before Victor Lindelöf doubled Villa’s advantage before half-time. Kamara then made it 3-0 shortly after coming off the bench, capping an encouraging comeback after seven months on the sidelines.
Villa’s official match report confirmed a second successive 3-1 victory for Unai Emery’s side following Saturday’s win over Indonesia All Stars.
Here are our Aston Villa player ratings from Thailand.
Marco Bizot – 6
Returned to the starting XI after James Wright completed the previous friendly.
Bizot did not have a particularly demanding afternoon and was generally secure when called upon. Little he could do about Pathum’s goal.
Matty Cash – 7.5
Captained Villa and immediately set the tone down the right.
Cash pushed forward whenever space opened up and showed good awareness to square for Buendía to finish the opening goal.
TJ Carroll – 7
Another composed showing from the youngster.
Carroll looked comfortable receiving possession under pressure and showed confidence when carrying the ball away from Pathum players. Emery continues to give him significant opportunities with the senior side.
Victor Lindelöf – 8.5
An excellent first half from the experienced defender.
Lindelöf looked far more comfortable back at centre-back after being used in midfield against Indonesia All Stars. He defended calmly, distributed the ball well and added Villa’s second goal to cap a very assured display.
Triston Rowe – 6.5
Started at left-back before moving across to his preferred right side after the break.
Rowe gave Villa useful flexibility and rarely looked uncomfortable defensively, even when operating away from his natural position.
Lamare Bogarde – 7
Kept things moving efficiently alongside João Gomes.
Bogarde was involved in the build-up to Buendía’s opener and regularly offered himself as Villa attempted to play through midfield. Another tidy pre-season performance.
João Gomes – 7
Survived an early scare after taking a heavy challenge but quickly recovered.
Gomes showed why Villa wanted him with several powerful carries through midfield and a willingness to take possession in congested areas.
Alysson – 8
One of Villa’s most dangerous players.
Alysson repeatedly attacked his full-back and looked full of confidence whenever he isolated a defender. He played a role in both first-half goals and produced several moments of individual quality.
Emi Buendía – 8
Another productive outing from the Argentine.
Buendía arrived in exactly the right area to convert Cash’s cross and once again looked sharp between the lines. Two goals in two games on the Asian tour represents an excellent return.
Alejandro Garnacho – 5.5
A difficult afternoon before being withdrawn.
Garnacho struggled to find the same rhythm as Villa’s other attackers, with a few loose touches stopping promising moves. His game ended prematurely after he suffered a bloodied mouth.
Evann Guessand – 6
Led the line again and did some useful work away from the penalty area.
Guessand linked neatly with Gomes during one particularly promising first-half attack, but Villa did not manage to get him involved often enough around goal.
George Hemmings – 7
Another encouraging contribution from the academy prospect.
Hemmings looked comfortable operating from the left and continued to play with the confidence of someone who believes he belongs around the first team. ReadAstonVilla highlighted his growing reputation earlier on Tuesday, and another positive appearance will only strengthen his case.
Pau Torres – 6.5
A quiet but controlled second half.
Torres helped Villa circulate possession from the back and was rarely forced into anything particularly uncomfortable.
Luka Lynch – 6.5
Showed some promising touches after replacing Buendía.
Lynch found space around the penalty area and had an effort blocked shortly after half-time.
John McGinn – 6.5
Came incredibly close to scoring when a superb long-range effort crashed against the crossbar.
The bigger concern came later when McGinn was forced off after landing awkwardly on his left knee. ReadAstonVilla reported after the game that Emery immediately decided not to risk his captain.
Brian Madjo – 7
Another lively showing from the young striker.
Madjo nearly scored shortly after coming on and linked Villa’s attacks effectively, continuing an impressive pre-season in and around Emery’s senior squad.
Ian Maatsen – 7
Provided plenty of energy from full-back after the interval.
Maatsen continually looked to get beyond Villa’s attackers and his low delivery eventually helped create the opportunity for Kamara’s goal.
Brad Burrowes – 6.5
Combined nicely with several of his fellow academy players.
Burrowes found himself in one particularly promising position after being released by Madjo, although he perhaps waited slightly too long before trying to finish the move.
Boubacar Kamara – 8
Seven months out and barely a minute required to score.
Kamara swept the ball into the bottom corner almost immediately after entering the pitch and looked remarkably comfortable considering the length of his absence. The midfielder admitted afterwards that it “feels good to be back”, with his return arguably the biggest positive of Villa’s afternoon.
Aston Villa star man: Victor Lindelöf – 8.5
Kamara produced the standout moment and Alysson caused problems throughout the first half, but Lindelöf delivered Villa’s most complete individual performance.
He barely put a foot wrong at centre-back, gave Emery an experienced presence in possession and capped his display with a goal.
