BIRMINGHAM (Interstat) — Aston Villa defeated Viking 3-1 on Wednesday at Villa Park, using goals from Ross Barkley and Emiliano Buendia and a key attacking contribution from Ibrahim Mbaye. Barkley opened the scoring in the 23rd minute before being substituted in the 70th. Peter Christiansen scored for Viking in the 84th minute, with Kristoffer Askildsen providing an assist. Buendia and Christiansen were among the game’s key performers. Villa’s win moved it to 2-0 in the competition and 5-3-2 across all competitions. Viking fell to 0-1-1 in the competition and 4-1-1 overall. Aston Villa controlled the match at home and protected its advantage after halftime, while Viking found a late response but could not close the gap. Mbaye also recorded an assist before departing in the 72nd minute. The result gave Villa a second competition win and handed Viking its first competition loss.