Aston Villa's Tielemans falls in 3-1 Ukraine upset over Belgium | OneFootball

Aston Villa players participating in their country's fixtures is typically seen as a good thing. Yes, there is always the risk of injury or bad form potentially carrying over, but the positives tend to outweigh these concerns. Everyone dreams of playing for their host nation, and a call-up is met with an enthusiasm for proudly wearing their country's colors.

Unfortunately for Youri Tielemans, the Belgium away leg at Ukraine proved to only be an afternoon of frustration. Under Rudi Garcia, this team with a lot of star talent was supposed to comfortably gain an advantage for the return leg in Gent. Instead, the Red Devils now find themselves behind by two goals after a 3-1 defeat.

The Aston Villa midfielder played all 90+ minutes and will not be able to play on Sunday as he picked up a yellow card that more or less summarized the second half of the affair. During the opening 45, Belgium dictated the terms of the match. A Romelu Lukaku score put the visitors ahead 1-0 at the half. Ensuing efforts coming out of the dressing room, however, often saw Ukraine pressing the issue, with Thibaut Courtois being the busier of the two keepers.

As well as Tielemans and the midfield performed at first, the wheels came off in the second half, and his yellow card-worthy challenge stemmed from a player knowing that his team should not have been facing a disadvantage at this stage of the Nations League relegation struggle.

Mounting match frustration for Aston Villa player

Toward the end, the AVFC midfielder nearly created a chance while trying to set up a teammate to at least get a goal back. The clever run and ensuing pass resulted only in a corner that was soon cleared away. Outside of that moment, it was the home side that always looked more likely to score again than anything else.

Not forced to watch in the next fixture, Tielemans will be disappointed that Belgium came out flat from halftime, especially in a game that they'll know should have been a win for a roster with as much quality as there is. With extra time to reflect without needing to further tax his legs, the Aston Villa midfielder should be ready to go when the club takes on Preston North End in the FA Cup.