Aston Villa clinched a mammoth victory over Bayern Munich on Wednesday night, with one player now receiving adulation from his teammates.
The build-up to the game was huge, as former England international Rio Ferdinand was left impressed by the atmosphere outside Villa Park.
The noise inside the ground was even better, too, as Emi Martinez described the Aston Villa fans as ‘unreal’ for the part they played in a famous win against Bayern Munich.
Heading into the final 20 minutes of the game, Bayern looked the more likely to score the winner as they pressed on but it was Jhon Duran who produced another special moment off the bench by lobbing the ball over Manuel Neuer.
Duran was the hero for Villa once more but he wasn’t the only player to receive huge plaudits on the night.
Morgan Rogers shines for Aston Villa vs Bayern Munich
Since arriving at the club from Middlesbrough for £15 million in January, Morgan Rogers’ stock and value has skyrocketed, with the 22-year-old enjoying a fine start to the season.
Rogers would face arguably the biggest test of his career on Wednesday night as he came up against world-class opponents but he never looked out of place.
In typical Rogers fashion, every time he received the ball on the half-turn, he had the midfield duo of Aleksandar Pavlovic and Joshua Kimmich chasing him as they desperately tried to bring him down.
The talented Englishman recorded an impressive five dribbles while winning seven ground duels and drawing two fouls across 90 minutes.
Just like most of his Aston Villa teammates, the Manchester City academy gem turned up for the big occasion and showed why he’s one of the most sought-after midfielders on the planet.
Ian Maatsen and Emi Martinez wowed by Rogers vs Bayern Munich
After shining on the big stage for Villa, Rogers took to Instagram post-game to post an image of himself driving forward with the caption: “Nights like these.”
A year ago, the prospect of playing in the Champions League would have been a pipe dream for the youngster, who was flourishing for Middlesborough in the Championship.
Now, he’s widely recognised by supporters and his teammates as an elite-level talent who is only going to improve.
Reacting to his post on Instagram, left-back Ian Maatsen simply wrote: ‘Baller’.
Martinez – who was another hero on the night – replied with the cold emoji referencing his ice-cold performance.
Youngster Lamare Bogarde, on the other hand, was flabbergasted by his display against the Germans, as he replied: “No words.”
Meanwhile, England under-21 international and former Man City teammate, Liam Delap commented: ‘Wow’.
It’s been some rise for Rogers, who was written off by many when he joined Villa, and now he’s shining in the Champions League.
