Aston Villa recorded a memorable 1-0 win over Bayern Munich at Villa Park thanks to Jhon Durán’s second-half strike, giving them their second UEFA Champions League victory this season. The scoreline echoed Villa’s historic European Cup triumph over Bayern in 1982.
Bayern dominated possession in the early stages, with Joshua Kimmich finding pockets and dictating the tempo, but Villa’s defence held strong. A promising counter saw Ollie Watkins run at the Bayern backline and he was rewarded as Dayot Upamecano received a booking for bringing him down. The crowd thought Pau Torres handed Villa the lead, but his goal was correctly chalked off for offside, and the hosts were handed a blow as Jacob Ramsey was forced off injured.
Bayern introduced Jamal Musiala in the second half, but Villa’s backline, marshaled by Emiliano Martínez and Pau Torres, held firm. Martínez continued to make saves at important times when Villa might have fallen behind under pressure from Serge Gnabry and Harry Kane.
It was Durán, off the bench, with the telling blow, latching onto a long ball from Torres and coolly slotting past Manuel Neuer. Martínez’s late heroics ensured Villa’s seventh straight unbeaten match, while handing Bayern their first Champions League group stage defeat in 42 games.
