Ben Fisher’s match report is in, so I’ll call it quits. What a night for the Villans.
Here’s that massive Champions League table, which will put a smile on Unai’s face. Ignore the technical hiccup at the bottom.
| Pos | Team | P | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Borussia Dortmund | 2 | 9 | 6 |
| 2 | Brest | 2 | 5 | 6 |
| 3 | Benfica | 2 | 5 | 6 |
| 4 | Bayer Leverkusen | 2 | 5 | 6 |
| 5 | Liverpool | 2 | 4 | 6 |
| 6 | Aston Villa | 2 | 4 | 6 |
| 7 | Juventus | 2 | 3 | 6 |
| 8 | Man City | 2 | 4 | 4 |
| 9 | Inter Milan | 2 | 4 | 4 |
| 10 | Sparta Prague | 2 | 3 | 4 |
| 11 | Atalanta | 2 | 3 | 4 |
| 12 | Sporting | 2 | 2 | 4 |
| 13 | Arsenal | 2 | 2 | 4 |
| 14 | Monaco | 2 | 1 | 4 |
| 15 | Bayern Munich | 2 | 6 | 3 |
| 16 | Barcelona | 2 | 4 | 3 |
| 17 | Real Madrid | 2 | 1 | 3 |
| 18 | Lille | 2 | -1 | 3 |
| 19 | PSG | 2 | -1 | 3 |
| 20 | Celtic | 2 | -2 | 3 |
| 21 | Club Brugge | 2 | -2 | 3 |
| 22 | Feyenoord | 2 | -3 | 3 |
| 23 | Atletico Madrid | 2 | -3 | 3 |
| 24 | PSV | 2 | -2 | 1 |
| 25 | Stuttgart | 2 | -2 | 1 |
| 26 | Bologna | 2 | -2 | 1 |
| 27 | Shakhtar Donetsk | 2 | -3 | 1 |
| 28 | Dinamo Zagreb | 2 | -7 | 1 |
| 29 | RB Leipzig | 2 | -2 | 0 |
| 30 | Girona | 2 | -2 | 0 |
| 31 | Sturm Graz | 2 | -2 | 0 |
| 32 | AC Milan | 2 | -3 | 0 |
| 33 | Red Star Belgrade | 2 | -5 | 0 |
| 34 | Red Bull Salzburg | 2 | -7 | 0 |
| 35 | Slovan Bratislava | 2 | -8 | 0 |
| 36 | Young Boys | 2 | -8 | 0 |
| 1 | Atletico Madrid | 6 | 11 | 14 |
| 2 | Lazio | 6 | 0 | 10 |
| 3 | Feyenoord | 6 | -1 | 6 |
| 4 | Celtic | 6 | -10 | 4 |
Emi Martínez speaks to TNT after his late heroics: “It’s unreal, it’s the loudest Villa Park I’ve heard since I joined the club. It’s a club that’s moving forward, that’s the main reason why I stayed at this football club, I love playing here, I love the fans.
“We are committed defensively more in Champions League, I think we need to transmit that into Premier League now, we are conceding some sloppy goals in the Premier League.”
On Durán: “He’s been on fire. He came back with a different mentality this season. He’s willing to work hard, pushing Ollie all the way, they can play together.
“It’s a night we’ll remember for a long time.”
Bayern’s unbeaten start to the season is over, and Villa have two wins from two in the Champions League.
FULL-TIME: Aston Villa 1-0 Bayern Munich
Villa Park erupts! It’s the same scoreline as 1982.
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90+6 min: Martínez saves again! It’s another stunner, diving to his right to deny a header from Kane, an effort that looked dead-set to be the equaliser.
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90+5 min: Kane lines up for the shot … his deflected effort goes out for a corner.
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90+4 min: Diego Carlos gets a yellow for handball and Bayern have a free-kick from just outside the box. What a chance this is …
90+3 min: Palhinha’s effort from range is blocked as Bayern run out of ideas.
90+1 min: Martínez delivers a brilliant save for Villa, denying the onrushing Gnabry from close range after a killer ball in from the left. And now the keeper is down, seeking treatment. It’s pure gamesmanship.
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90 min: Kane receives the ball with his back to goal by the D but Pau Torres gets in the way.
89 min: Corner for Bayern with Sané to deliver … it’s headed away by Jhon Durán at the near post. He’s everywhere.
88 min: Diego Carlos, once again, is a wall out on the right for Villa, cutting out Musiala’s ball.
87 min: Diego Carlos heads away inside the box, cutting out a cross from the left.
85 min: Bayern make two more changes, with Laimer and Kim off, Tel and Goretzka on.
84 min: Now to see if Villa can hold on.
GOAL! Aston Villa 1-0 Bayern Munich (Durán 79)
He’s done it again! It’s a stunning finish from the sub who can’t stop scoring. The ball comes from Pau Torres in defence, and Durán tries to run in behind Upamecano. The centre-half is next to him but Durán notes that Neuer is – as per – off his line. From 20 yards or so, Durán uses the bounce expertly to lash a first-time hit over the keeper’s head and into the net.
Updated
79 min: It’s another wasted set-piece for Bayern, with Kimmich finding the safe hands of Martínez.
78 min: Maatsen gets a little too excited in the press, bringing Laimer down to give Bayern a free-kick on the right.
77 min: The search for a clearcut chance continues, Villa’s off-the-ball shape offering Bayern no space for destruction.
76 min: Palhinha replaces Pavlovic in Bayern’s midfield.
75 min: The set-piece doesn’t cause Villa any bother, with the hosts continuing to defend well.
74 min: Barkley is dispossessed in midfield as Bayern press forward, and a blocked cross leads to a corner.
73 min: Philogene gets on the end of a Durán flick-on but kicks out for a goalkick under pressure from a Bayern shirt.
71 min: It’s all a bit quiet at present … though Musiala wins a free-kick to open up a crossing position from the right. Kimmich goes short with it as Bayern opt to keep knocking it about, unwilling to force it into the mixer.
70 min: Villa bring off Watkins for their super-sub Jhon Durán.
66 min: Gnabry earns a yellow for a rather silly challenge, bringing Watkins down inside the Bayern half. Sané replaces Olise for Bayern.
64 min: Torres saves Villa with a block in the area after Jamal Musiala, who came on at the break, jinks his way through the middle with those electric feet.
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62 min: Barkley is immediately effective, bursting into space through the middle, but he can’t nail the final through ball into the box.
60 min: Time for a change or two. Ross Barkley and Ian Maatsen replace Onana and Bailey (!), who came on for Ramsey in the first half!
57 min: … and after patient buildup they go down the left, with a cross finding Olise in the middle, his volley inside the area blocked by a Villa shirt.
56 min: Bayern circle the ball around, searching for a gap to cut through …
54 min: There’s a VAR check for a handball from Konsa inside the Villa box … which can obviously go any way nowadays. Villa survive it before Kimmich has a corner meet the sidenetting.
52 min: Gnabry has moved to the left wing this half and is starting to cause a bit of bother, providing Konsa a test after the defender handled Coman well in the first half.
51 min: Gnabry drives from the left, slides in Davies for a cut-back cross … the ball is deflected out for a Bayern corner.
50 min: Upamecano drives into Villa’s half to take down Watkins … the defender needs to be a bit more careful.
49 min: Bayern’s break from Villa’s corner is disrupted before the visitors build again, Kimmich continuing to drop deep into the right-back position to control the game and its tempo.
48 min: Philogene skips down the left and shows off some stepovers before winning a corner.
46 min: Amadou Onana is still on Villa despite looking as if he was in a bit of discomfort in the first half.
Peeeep again!
And we’re back.
Here’s how things have gone elsewhere in Europe.
Half-time wisdom from David Horn: “Once you’ve sung ‘Philogene’ to the tune of ‘Billie Jean’ once, it’s very hard to stop. You’re welcome.”
Bayern have had much of the ball and looked sharp going forward … but it’s Villa who had the ball in the net after a bit of chaos from a set-piece. Pau Torres was the goalscorer until the offside ruling got in the way. There’ll be chances for Villa on the counter, with Bayern piling their men forward and leaving Upamecano to sweep up at the back.
HALF-TIME: Aston Villa 0-0 Bayern Munich
A ball slides through trying to find Watkins, but Upamecano intercepts for Bayern Munich before the half-time whistle. Their battle looks as if it’ll be the decisive one in the second half.
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45+1 min: We have two minutes added on.
45 min: Olise slides the ball to Gnabry inside the box, who flicks to Laimer, who nearly bustles his way into an effort in front of goal. Martínez sweeps away any potential danger.
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43 min: Kane launches into a lengthy dribble before launching a wayward pass; he proceeds to take Rogers down from behind.
42 min: Villa get a hold of the ball, just calming things down after a lively few minutes for Bayern.
39 min: Wow, this time Olise does shoot and it’s a terrific hit. It’s a curling effort cutting in from the right, aiming for the top left corner from 25 yards or so … but Martínez leaps to somehow tip it over.
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38 min: Coman pulls back for Olise on the edge of the box, who tries to sidefoot in a pass when a shot might have been the better option.
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37 min: Bayern have a free-kick from distance on the right, with Kimmich to whip it in … he ambitiously has a crack at goal. It’s easily swept up by Martínez.
35 min: Kane, dropping deep, dinks a nice ball to Laimer to skip on to on the right, but the right-back’s cross is deflected and finds the hands of Martínez.
33 min: Villa will have to look for success on the counterattack, which seems possible if they have Watkins isolated with Upamecano, already on a yellow.
32 min: Kimmich continues to dictate, finding Coman on the left as Bayern turn the game into attack v defence. Villa’s defensive shape holds for now.
29 min: Bayern build out brilliantly from the back, with Laimer’s ball over the top finding Gnabry free to rampage down the right wing. He enters the area, should square to Kane … and instead blasts high and wide! A shocking effort and Kane is rightly furious.
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27 min: An early change for Villa, with Ramsey suffering an injury. On comes Leon Bailey.
DISALLOWED GOAL!
22 min: Lift off! It’s really poor defending from Bayern Munich after a Digne ball in from the left is brought down by Philogene, with Pau Torres seizing upon the loose ball to expertly poke in the finish from close range. The stadium erupts until they check for offside … Ramsey was off from the free-kick that began the move.
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21 min: Oooooh. Upamecano and Watkins are left one-on-one again after a long punt from Martínez, and this time the defender’s challenge is considered a foul. It’s a yellow card, and this looks an enticing duel.
19 min: Prince William is here, if you care for that sort of thing.
18 min: … Olise whips in from the right, the ball is headed out before Coman fires way over the bar.
17 min: Some lovely buildup play from Bayern on the right leads to a corner …
16 min: Villa Park erupts as Watkins goes down under a challenge from Upamecano, with only Neuer behind the defender. Play goes on but that could have easily been disastrous for Bayern.
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15 min: Digne finally gets to cross from the left, and he finds Watkins at the far post … but he heads over, put off by his marker, Kim.
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14 min: Olise brings down Digne on Villa’s left before the hosts finally get their passing game going, working it across the pitch.
12 min: Kimmich is playing the quarter-back role for Bayern, springing the long diagonal passes; he finds Coman on the left.
10 min: Nothing comes of the Bayern corner before the visitors press high, suffocating Villa’s attempt to play out from the back. It’s been a nervy opening for the hosts.
9 min: Villa are cut open with a ball over the top from Kimmich to Gnabry inside the area, who tries to square it to Kane. The end result is a corner for Bayern.
6 min: Kane enters the game, getting his head on an excellent Kimmich cross from the right. Martínez makes a terrific save with his left foot … but the forward was offside anyway.
5 min: Rogers meets the ball but is also greeted by a stream of Bayern shirts, the German side already looking to stop him from carrying the ball forward for Villa.
3 min: Bayern knock it around at the back, dominating the early possession.
2 min: Olise whips in a corner for Bayern, with no damage done to Villa.
1 min: Neuer spends plenty of time on the ball outside his area, waiting and assessing. There’s no rushed press from Villa on to the keeper, who goes short.
Peeeep!
Villa are in their usual claret and blue, while Bayern don their all-black outfits. The visitors kick off, moving from left to right on my screen.
Rio Ferdinand’s getting all worked up and excited over on TNT. The players are on their way out, led by two World Cup winners: Emi Martínez and Manuel Neuer. Villa Park is rocking.
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Just a few minutes now … get your cup of chamomile/whatever suits ready.
Richard Hirst would like to see a certain someone back at the Cottage: “Never mind about how’s Kane doing, what about poor Joao, on Bayern’s bench rather than gracing Fulham’s midfield as we march up the table. Don’t worry Joao, we’ll have you back.”
Ben Fisher reports on one of the key subplots of the evening.
The question related to Harry Kane and the easy answer was the equivalent of a tap-in but instead Ollie Watkins paused before offering a candid assessment of the nuanced dynamic at play. For Watkins, Kane is his England captain, a teammate but also, to put it bluntly, the guy he is trying to displace.
How’s Harry Kane doing in Germany this season, you ask? Five goals in five league games, four in one Champions League match, and a goal in the cup, too. He was an injury concern heading into this match but starts.
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Bayern make two changes from the XI that drew 1-1 against Leverkusen, with Konrad Laimer and Kingsley Coman in; Raphaël Guerreiro and Jamal Musiala go to the bench. Villa have one change from their 2-2 draw with Ipswich: Jaden Philogene, 19 years young, replaces Leon Bailey.
The teams
Here we go:
Your Aston Villa team for our Champions League clash at Villa Park 👊#AVLFCB || #UpTheVilla pic.twitter.com/2YpmEphMMB
— Aston Villa (@AVFCOfficial) October 2, 2024
✨ 𝐎𝐮𝐫 #AVLFCB 𝐋𝐢𝐧𝐞-𝐮𝐩 ✨#FCBayern #UCL #MiaSanMia pic.twitter.com/LTtGfIHwSx
— FC Bayern (@FCBayernEN) October 2, 2024
Aston Villa: Martínez, Diego Carlos, Konsa, Torres, Digne, Onana, Ramsey, Philogene, Tielemans, Rogers, Watkins
Subs: Gauci, Zych, Cash, Barkley, Durán, Buendía, Nedeljkovic, Maatsen, Bogarde, Bailey, Swinkels, Young
Bayern Munich: Neuer, Kimmich, Kim, Upamecano, Davies, Laimer, Pavlovic, Coman, Olise, Gnabry, Kane
Subs: Peretz, Ulreich, Goretzka, Sané, Dier, Palhinha, Guerreiro, Müller, Tel, Musiala
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Preamble
Hello, hello, hello and welcome to a very special evening at Villa Park. The German giants are in town for a rematch of the 1982 European Cup final, when Aston Villa triumphed 1-0 in Rotterdam. Withe, Shaw and Spink were just some of the heroes back then; tonight offers Watkins, Martínez and others the chance to become the same.
Bayern Munich, looking rejuvenated under new management, will hope to be party-poopers. They remain unbeaten this season, scored nine (!) against Dinamo Zagreb in their Champions League opener and kept up with Leverkusen over the weekend. This should be good fun. Kick-off’s at 8pm BST.
