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Tom Hamilton, Senior Writer
BIRMINGHAM, England — Aston Villa goalkeeper Emiliano Martínez said the crowd was the loudest he’d ever heard it at Villa Park after helping his team beat Bayern Munich 1-0 in the Champions League on Wednesday evening.
Jhon Duran’s 79th minute long-range strike was enough to earn Villa a memorable victory over Vincent Kompany’s Bayern Munich in what was the host’s first top-level European match at Villa Park in 41 years.
Bayern had the bulk of possession and had chances to level the match late on, but Martinez saved brilliantly to palm away a close-range Harry Kane header. And postmatch, the Argentine World Cup-winner paid tribute to the fans and dedicated the win to them.
“This is the loudest Villa Park that I’ve heard since I joined the club, that’s for sure,” Martinez said. “It was hurting my ears at some point. I love playing here. I love the fans. This is a win for them.”
“There’s no ceiling for me, I want to keep improving,” the Argentina national team goalkeeper added.
“I’m obsessed with continuing to progress, becoming the best, winning everything with Aston Villa, and with the Argentina national team as well, and I try to show it every week. The goals I’ve conceded in the Premier League are many and it has affected me. I’m a fanatic about finishing matches with a clean sheet and I work hard on that”
Martinez’s brilliant saves late on preserved the three points, they had Duran’s incredible strike to thank for a famous victory.
The goal came as Pau Torres’ long ball split the Bayern defence and Duran hit a first-time shot from 30 yards that looped over goalkeeper Manuer Neuer’s head. Neuer was frequently positioned outside of his penalty area when Bayern were attacking, and Unai Emery revealed postmatch that Villa had identified that as an area of opportunity.
“When Duran received the ball, he was shooting quick,” Emery said. “In the analysis we were speaking a lot about how the usual positioning of Neuer, [and how it is] always high. I spoke with my assistant coaches, about how to shoot [first time], and he had this in his mind.”
Duran has had an incredible knack of scoring late winners for Villa this season. He has four in the Premier League this term, three of them securing Villa key victories. Emery started Ollie Watkins up front against Bayern, and he played 70 minutes before being replaced by the match-winner.
The Villa manager said having two in-form strikers is a welcome headache, with Watkins excelling for Villa as well.
“For my management, it’s a challenge, as I have to get the best [out of the players],” Emery said. “It’s a good problem for the team, as I have one striker — Watkins, he plays at a top level, and a young player who’s growing his talent and wants to be in the staring 11. I am very happy with this situation.
“It was important that Watkins did the work in 70 minutes and Duran, different ways, fresh player, scored the goal to win the match. They [have] played together, and will play together.”
Villa have won both Champions League games so far, having also defeated Young Boys 3-0 and Emery said his team are targeting one of the top eight spots in the competition’s pool stage, which would give Villa direct qualification to the knockout round without needing a playoff.
“I am very proud of everything around Aston Villa,” Emery said afterward.
For the visitors, they had their fair share of chances but were left frustrated by Martinez and some brilliant scrambling defending from Villa. Despite the defeat, Kompany said it would have little long-term impact on his team’s prospects in the Champions League.
It was a night in which there was plenty of nostalgia at Villa Park given these two met in the 1982 European Cup final, a match Villa won 1-0. But Kompany said such memories have no bearing on Wednesday’s match.
“When it comes to winning and losing, you don’t need the context of so many years,” he said. “We lost the game, the game has its own stories. We had big chances and they had a moment, and in that moment, they scored a goal. I understand the occasion for the opponent, but it doesn’t decide the Champions League today.”
And having seen his team score only one goal in their last two matches — in their 1-1 draw with Bayer Leverkusen — Kompany played down any concerns over their recent wastefulness in front of goal.
“Over two games against teams I rate highly, we conceded few chances,” Kompany said. “What we normally do so well is score goals, for one reason or another, it’s been [against the] bar or post, but with the team we have, I don’t see this as a trend. It’s just what’s happened this week.
“If we focus on our own work, we’ll win a lot of games still.”
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