It was certainly a night to remember for Unai Emery and Aston Villa, as they once again downed Bundesliga giants, Bayern Munich, in the premier European competition.
Back in 1982, when it was known as the European Cup, Villa had the most famous night in their history when Peter Withe scored the only goal in the final against the Bavarians.
Unai Emery ensures lightning strikes twice for Villa
Lightning struck again on Wednesday night when Jhon Duran was the hero. His sensational strike was worthy of winning any game.
The Colombian appears to have been something of a divisive presence for the club over the past few months, but his goals record this season – five in eight games per transfermarkt – can’t be questioned.
More so when you consider that he’s only played 277 minutes across those eight matches – equivalent to just over three games in total.
It’s that kind of form which has led Duran’s uncle to suggest that his nephew could one day play for Real Madrid.
Villa were indebted to Emi Martinez on the night too, with the Argentinian pulling off one of the greatest Champions League saves of all time.
Given the gravitas of the match, it’s no wonder that tempers were running high, and Emery let Vincent Kompany know exactly what he thought of the latter’s attempts to influence the fourth official.
Unai Emery was not afraid to say how he felt ??
? @tntsports & @discoveryplusUK pic.twitter.com/mCxrIfRGXy
— Football on TNT Sports (@footballontnt) October 2, 2024
In the end, of course, it will have been the Spaniard that was the happier of the two men, evidencing once more Unai Emery’s expertise in European competition.
It’s a result that places Villa in sixth position after two games, and taking the scalp of one of the most storied teams on the continent will surely fill the players with confidence for the remaining games.