In a thrilling encore of their historic European Cup success, Aston Villa clinched a 1-0 victory over Bayern Munich in the Champions League match at Villa Park. This second win of the season for Villa was a reminiscent of the club’s triumph 42 years earlier led by Peter Withe, an occasion still fresh in the memories of many.
In this fixture, Jhon Duran emerged as the game-changer with a significant goal in the 79th minute, marking his fifth success as a substitute in this season. His goal triggered a wave of euphoria in Villa Park, bringing back the glory days of 1982, with even Prince William enthusiastically joining the celebrations from the stands.
Deserving a mention is the remarkable job done by Spanish manager, Unai Emery, who, since his arrival just under two years ago, has driven the club from being relegation contenders to matching strength against Europe’s top clubs. This match marked Villa’s first home encounter with the Champions League anthem, intensifying the atmosphere and revving up enthusiasm among Villa fans, given that the game is the biggest they’ve seen in over four decades.
Despite their best efforts, Bayern Munich, spearheaded by the fit-again Harry Kane, couldn’t evade their first loss in 43 non-knockout Champions League matches. Even Kane’s late opportunity to level the game couldn’t prevent this defeat, the first one since their 3-0 loss to Paris St Germain helmed by Emery in 2017.
The noise levels reached an all-time high as they believed to have secured the lead in the 23rd minute, with Pau Torres nudging in a free kick’s stray ball. However, jubilant celebrations were abruptly stopped as VAR ruled Jacob Ramsey offside from the original set-piece. The hosts were under intense pressure, coming close to a score a few times. Amadou Onana nearly scored, but his shot was directly aimed at goalkeeper Manuel Neuer. Bayern managed to withstand the onslaught and compelled Emiliano Martinez to make his first significant save—brilliantly deflecting Michael Olise’s curving shot over the crossbar.
In the second half, Bayern took the reins and increased the pressure. Olise had a couple of shots blocked, and replacement Jamal Musiala was prevented from scoring after a skilful move into the area. Villa’s primary challenge used their speed during counterattacks-Duran’s winning goal was the result with just 11 minutes to go. A long pass from Torres was received by Duran who capitalised on Neuer’s poor positioning and shot into an unguarded goal. The final moments were tense as Villa put up a battle, with Martinez pulling off two stunning saves to secure victory. He held off a close-range shot from Serge Gnabry and made a sprawling save to fend off Kane’s attempt at a last-minute header.
Liverpool triumphed over Bologna with a 2-0 victory, marking the return of the Champions League to Anfield. The Reds secured an early 11-minute lead courtesy of Alexis Mac Allister’s first goal in the premium club competition. Still, the night for the hosts was fraught with difficulties. Yet, in a typical fashion, Mohamed Salah salvaged the situation, reassuring the team with a score 15 minutes from the end—his 49th overall in the Champions League. The 32-year-old, whose contract is due to run out by season end, netted his sixth goal against the Serie A side in his fourth encounter. Despite the arduous battle, Bologna remained undaunted in their first visit to Anfield, beginning on the front foot with a high-press strategy.
When Dallinga, the forward, tried to score against Alisson Becker, it became evident that he was well offside before he could shoot. Despite obtaining a headstart, Liverpool struggled when playing from the back; had it not been for Becker and the goalpost, they could’ve been in a deep problem. The goal, however, was a testament to Slot’s gameplay, a manager urging his team after a season in Europa League, to demonstrate their capacity to the Champions League.
A smart play between Mac Allister and Szoboszlai allowed them to pass the ball to Darwin Nunez at the edge of the D. The Uruguayan player considerably improved his awareness to position the ball for Salah. Two yards from the goalpost, Mac Allister received Salah’s dangerous cross to far post and nailed it.
Liverpool briefly attempted to dominate the game. Nunez failed to capitalise on an opportunity against goalkeeper Lukasz Skorupski, and Alexander-Arnold’s pass was slightly early. Szoboszlai misplaced Salah’s cross, and Nunez’s shot lacked power after successfully controlling Gravenberch’s high ball.
Slot’s team lost momentum as Szoboszlai’s incorrect header directed Dan Ndoye, Bologna’s key player, to deflect a shot off Konate. The ball hit the crossbar and post before Liverpool’s defence botched the clearance. Alisson was forced to make a save when Urbanski threatened to score following an interception by Ndoye from Alexander-Arnold.
Throughout the second half, Liverpool failed to break the opponents’ clamp down on them. However, Alisson made a crucial save against Riccardo Orsolini on his 32nd birthday. While Salah initially missed a chance, he didn’t repeat his mistake and successfully scored by cutting in Szoboszlai’s pass to bypass Skorupski.
In a surprising turn of events on Wednesday in the Champions League group phase, Lille emerged victorious against the reigning champions, Real Madrid. This 1-0 triumph at home, credited to a penalty in the first-half’s added time, was achieved by Jonathan David. This event concluded Real Madrid’s impressive streak of 14 undefeated matches in the tournament. The last time Real Madrid tasted defeat was in January, marking an unprecedented 36 match unbeaten run across all competitions. This victory earned Lille, a team from France’s Ligue 1, their three points in the recent rendition of the renowned European football league. Coincidentally, Real Madrid, following their initial win against VfB Stuttgart, ended up with the same number of points. In other games, it ended in a 3-2 win for Juventus over RB Leipzig, a 4-0 thrashing of Atletico Madrid by Benfica, a 2-2 draw between Dinamo Zagreb and Monaco, a 1-0 defeat of Sturm Graz by Club Brugge, and a close 3-2 victory for Feyenoord over Girona.