Aston Villa hosted their first Champions League game at Villa Park in over 40 years on Wednesday night as they beat Bayern Munich 1-0.
Super-sub Jhon Duran came on to once again earn Unai Emery’s side three points in an incredible display at Villa Park.
Against one of the Champions League favourites, Villa more than stepped up to the task and were unlucky not to go ahead in the first half when Pau Torres’ goal was disallowed.
However, the Colombian striker once again came off the bench to chip Manuel Neuer and win the match for the Birmingham outfit.
Now, looking back at the match, here are three things that you may have missed from the match.
Aston Villa honours Gary Shaw throughout Aston Villa vs Bayern Munich
Tragedy hit in September when it was announced that Villa legend Gary Shaw had passed away.
The striker came through the youth academy at Villa Park in the 1970s and went on to help the Villains win the First Division and the European Cup.
Shaw played a major role in winning both trophies and scored three goals in the run-up to the 1982 final with Bayern Munich.
Now, over 40 years since their previous Champions League match at Villa Park, Emery’s team honoured the legend in the matchday programme.
Villa added Shaw to the team list at with a picture of a trophy next to his name.
Following this, after Duran netted the opener, Villa fans around the ground could be heard signing Gary Shaw’s name in honour of the late legend.
Prince William meets Aston Villa’s 1982 European Cup-winning squad
It is well known that the future king of England is a Villa fan. Prince William has often been in attendance at Villa Park to support his team.
In the 2023/24 campaign, Prince William expressed his delight that Villa secured Champions League qualification.
Back in 2015, the Prince of Wales confirmed that he chose to support Villa because he didn’t want to follow ‘the run of the mill teams’.
Ahead of the Bayern Munich clash, Prince William met the members of the 1982 European Cup-winning side, many of whom would have been his heroes growing up.
Read more: Where are they now? Aston Villa’s 1982 European Cup-winning side.
Aston Villa fan group help work on stunning Holte End display
One of the most impressive parts of the evening was the atmosphere at Villa Park. Ahead of kick-off, there was plenty of anticipation for the fixture.
The club had put plenty of work into multiple areas to help create an intimidating atmosphere for the fixture.
One such area was the display in the Holte End before kick-off. A tifo of the Villa squad and Emery was shown with the words ‘All our heroes are Villains’ written underneath.
According to John Townley, Villa’s 1897 Group volunteered to help out, giving up their pre-match time for the display.
