BRUGGE, Belgium — In an unusual turn of events during the Champions League match against Club Brugge on Wednesday, Aston Villa was awarded a penalty for handball. The incident occurred when defender Tyrone Mings, after receiving a short goal kick from his teammate, goalkeeper Emi Martínez, mistakenly picked up the ball early in the second half.

Mings appeared to misunderstand the situation, believing that the ball was not in play. He proceeded to walk forward and grabbed the ball with his left hand, then returned it to its position at the corner of the six-yard box.

This error led to Brugge captain Hans Vanaken stepping up to take the penalty kick. In the 52nd minute, he skillfully converted the penalty, putting Brugge ahead 1-0 by placing the ball to Martínez’s left, while the goalkeeper dived to the opposite side.

Aston Villa had been enjoying an impressive return to the competition, winning their first three matches and surprising many by sitting atop the 36-team standings after a 41-year absence from the Champions League.

In a comparable situation last year during the Champions League quarterfinals, Bayern Munich did not receive a penalty when Arsenal defender Gabriel picked up a short pass from his goalkeeper, David Raya, without facing any consequences. At that time, Bayern’s head coach Thomas Tuchel criticized the officiating, pointing out that the referee’s decision to refrain from granting a penalty for what he called a “kid’s mistake” seemed unjust.