Bayern Munich were in a purple patch after a long time. That was until the German Giants travelled to Villa Park on Wednesday to play Unai Emery and Aston Villa away in the UEFA Champions League. In their first 6 matches of the season in all competitions, Bayern Munich won 5 of them scoring 26 goals and only conceding 6 which included the record-breaking scoreline of 9-2 against Dinamo Zagreb in the first matchday of the Champions League.
Going into their matchup against Aston Villa, no one saw an upset on the cards. But history repeated itself in many ways on Wednesday night. Thanks to the Super Sub Jhon Duran’s goal in the second half and a defensive masterclass by Villa with Emi Martinez pulling off heroic saves, Aston Villa pulled off one of the most surprising results in the UCL.
Just 4 years ago, Aston Villa barely managed to stay in the Premier League after a Goal-Line Technology denied their opponents a goal that would’ve sent them back to the championship.
Now in 2024, under Unai Emery, Aston Villa are playing in a European Competition after 41 long years and is marking its first appearance in the UEFA Champions League ever since it was rebranded. They have however won the old European Cup which they won in 1982. Can you guess whom they won it against? And what was the scoreline?
Yup. Aston Villa won it against Bayern Munich in 1982 with the score reading 1-0. This wasn’t the only way they recreated history though. Unai Emery yet again proved to be Bayern’s nightmare. The last time a Unai Emery team met Bayern in the Champions League was in the Quarterfinal of the 2021/22 UCL when Munich took on Emery’s Yellow Submarine, Villarreal.
And yes, Villarreal won the David Goliath matchup with a 2-1 aggregate score after 2 very competitive legs of football. The historical references don’t end here though. Bayern Munich have been on a 41-game unbeaten streak in the UCL Group/League stage matches since the 2017/18 season when they last lost on September 26. Any guesses about whom they lost against? Unai Emery’s Paris Saint-Germain!
Unai Emery surely has been Bayern Munich’s kryptonite as now, the Munich side sees themselves stranded in the middle of the Champions League table. Not the kind of Kompany they would want to be with (pun intended).
On the other hand, since Unai Emery took the Aston Villa job, they’re 4th in points in the Premier League, just 15 points behind Liverpool, 23 behind Arsenal and 32 behind City. That’s 1.91PPG in 68 games. Massive numbers for a manager managing a club who was flirting with Relegation not long ago.
How far will Aston Villa go in the Champions League their first time back in Europe’s ultimate Championship? My guess is that they won’t make it into the Quarter-Finals and lose in the Round Of 16. Let us know your opinion in the comments below.
