The King and the Villain at Opposite Ends at Villa Park

Aston Villa had waited 41 years to bring the Champions League atmosphere back to their home ground, and Unai Emery’s squad did not disappoint their fans.

Last night, the 41-year-old Champions League final between Villa and Bayern Munich was replayed, and once again, the result remained the same, with the Birmingham team emerging victorious thanks to a goal worth its weight in gold.

Before the match, Bayern was on a 42-match unbeaten streak in the Champions League group stage/qualifying rounds and had not lost any of their nine games in all competitions this season. With their impressive form and a well-balanced squad across all areas, the Bavarians were expected to settle the debt owed to Villa more than four decades ago, but instead, Vincent Kompany’s side brought more pain back to Bavaria.

Throughout the 90 minutes, Bayern completely dominated the game, with stats showing their possession, number of passes, and shots far surpassing Unai Emery’s side. However, one moment of carelessness in the 79th minute during a quick Villa counterattack led to Harry Kane and his teammates tasting defeat for the first time this season.

The hero who delivered the only goal of the match, Jhon Duran, was undoubtedly the most talked-about name after the game, but the Colombian star wasn’t necessarily the standout performer. Villa’s goal was guarded by a player who turned Bayern’s attackers’ day into a nightmare.

Statistics show that Villa endured 17 shots from Bayern (the highest this season), with seven of them on target, yet all seven attempts were denied by Emiliano Martinez. Two of these saves were highly rated by Sofascore.

After breaking the deadlock, Villa faced a storm of attacks from Bayern. Several chances came for the visitors, particularly in the final moments when Kane had a close-range diving header, but this was when Villa’s World Cup-winning goalkeeper, Martinez, showcased his class, using his fingertips to preserve the 3 points for Birmingham.

After the match, Martinez was rated 8.9 by Sofascore, the highest in the game. According to Squawka, Martinez also became the first goalkeeper since the 2016/17 season to make the most saves in a single Champions League match against Bayern.

The former Arsenal star haunted Bayern’s fans, but at the other end of the pitch, another figure brought frustration to the German side, none other than Manuel Neuer.

Having a much quieter game than his counterpart, as Bayern controlled the match and only faced two shots on target, Neuer still had to retrieve the ball from the net after one of those attempts. Even more bitterly, it was the German star’s direct mistake that led to Kompany’s side’s downfall.

The 38-year-old keeper advanced too far from his goal, leaving it wide open for Duran to execute a perfectly timed chip, putting Villa in the lead. Neuer’s risky style came at a high cost, earning him a disastrous rating of 6.1 from Sofascore, the lowest in the match.

After the match, Villa’s coach Emery admitted that Neuer’s tendency to play high up and sweep behind his defense became the double-edged sword that Villa exploited for their goal.

“We analyzed Bayern’s defensive system, especially Neuer’s positioning. He always stands far from the goal. I discussed it with my assistants and gave clear instructions on the kind of shots Duran should take after being subbed on,” Emery said after the match.

Although Neuer was later defended by teammate Joshua Kimmich, who explained that the decision for Neuer to play higher up was made by the coaching staff, the mistake will certainly deepen the pain for the former Schalke star, who has faced several bad memories in the Champions League, most recently failing to save a crucial shot, allowing Real Madrid to mount a comeback against Bayern in last season’s semifinal second leg.

Age is increasingly affecting Neuer’s reflexes and decision-making, and last night, the 2015 Ballon d’Or bronze medalist had to bow to his younger counterpart at Villa Park.