Emiliano Martinez believes Aston Villa’s stunning win over Bayern Munich proves they are a serious force in the Champions League this season.
A late goal from substitute Jhon Duran delivered a repeat of the most famous result in Villa’s history, when they beat Bayern 1-0 to lift the European Cup 42 years ago.
With a number of the heroes of that day in Rotterdam, as well as the Prince of Wales, watching from the stands, Villa produced another night to remember.
‘It is a statement,’ said Martinez, who made superb saves to deny Serge Gnabry and Harry Kane late on. ‘We want to qualify for the last 16 automatically by finishing in the top eight.
‘It’s a club that is moving forward. It’s the main reason why I stayed here. I love playing here, I love the fans. This is a win for them.’
Emiliano Martinez believes Aston Villa’s win over Bayer Munich proves that they are a force to be reckoned with in the Champions League
Jhon Duran’s wonderstrike delivered a repeat of the most famous result in Villa’s history, when they beat Bayern 1-0 to lift the European Cup
Villa were also indebted to Martinez, who made a series of stunning saves including two late on
This was Duran’s fifth goal as a substitute this term and was certainly his most dramatic – a first-time effort from distance that caught Manuel Neuer out of position and beat his despairing dive.
The Colombian is quickly emerging as one of the stars of the season, despite coming close to leaving Villa last summer amid interest from Chelsea and West Ham.
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Martinez added: ‘He came back with a different mentality this season. He’s willing to work hard and he is pushing Ollie all the way. He is a super sub but they can play together.
‘The first time he touched the ball he lobbed Manuel Neuer, one of the best goalkeepers in history.’
Bayern, meanwhile, will be sick of the sight of Villa boss Unai Emery. He was in charge of Paris St Germain when they suffered their last defeat in the Champions League group stages, in September 2017.
And Emery was at the helm when Villarreal knocked out Bayern in the quarter-finals two years ago, one of the competition’s most surprising results of modern times.
‘Against teams like that, it’s very important to be strong,’ said Emery. ‘Martinez did an amazing job and made amazing saves.
‘We have to try to play well in each match. We competed very well and we won. Maybe we can get the first eight positions.’
Unai Emery has now masterminded three wins over Bayern Munich in the Champions League with three different clubs
Bayern had the better chances in the match and the lion’s share of possession at Villa Park
Bayern boss Vincent Kompany tried to play down the significance of the defeat, with six matches of the league phase still remaining – though no loss can ever be written off when you are in charge of the most prestigious club in Germany.
He said: ‘It’s a bitter result but it won’t be decisive for the outcome of the Champions League. We don’t need to take in the context of history.
‘We had big chances and didn’t score, then we gave away a moment and they scored. It’s a special night for them but it doesn’t decide anything. When we have chances we have to convert them but I’m confident we’ll score plenty of goals.’
