Days after being suspended by FIFA, Argentina goalkeeper Emiliano Martínez produced heroics in front of the watching Prince William as Aston Villa sealed a 1-0 win in their Champions League game against Bayern Munich this morning.
The Prince of Wales was among the ecstatic crowd at Villa Park to watch his beloved football team win.
Substitute Jhon Duran struck a 79th-minute winner, but two brilliant late saves from Martinez held off a fightback from six-time European champion Bayern to leave William celebrating.
Martinez denied Serge Gnabry in a one-on-one in stoppage time and then acrobatically kept out Harry Kane's header.
Villa's win came more than 42 years after beating Bayern 1-0 to lift the European Cup in 1982, the same year William was born.
This was only the second time the teams had met.
It was also Villa's first home game in European football’s elite competition since losing to Juventus as defending champion in the quarterfinals in 1983.
William, who is a lifelong Villa fan, met members of the European Cup winning team and posed for pictures before the match.
“The Prince posted on X “42 years on, our 1982 European Cup winning legends are here on an historic night, ready for the first game on home turf in this year’s European adventure.”
William, who is also patron of the English Football Association, sat in an executive box, dressed casually in a dark blue button-up coat over a maroon sweater and blue shirt — Villa's colours.
He was seen hugging another fan sat with him as the home crowd savoured its latest triumph over German giant Bayern.
There was no reprieve for Bayern when Duran struck to continue his remarkable scoring record this season.
Coming on in the 70th, he lashed in a first time shot from around 25 yards to beat Bayern keeper Manuel Neuer.
Villa now has back-to-back wins in the revamped Champions League.
[Source: Stuff.co]
