Aston Villa 1 Bayern Munich 0: How super substitute Jhon Duran scored his Champions League eye-catcher

Jhon Duran scored another impressive goal off the bench to secure a famous Champions League win over Bayern Munich on a big night at Villa Park.

Villa thought they had taken the lead in the 22nd minute when Pau Torres fired the ball into the goal, only for VAR to have Jacob Ramsey flagged offside in advance.

The match was the first in the tournament to be played at Villa Park for 41 years and was also a repeat of the 1982 European Cup final, which Villa won. In attendance was William, Prince of Wales, heir to the British throne.

Bayern dominated possession at times and had good chances of their own, with Emi Martinez at his best parrying Harry Kane, but it was Duran who once again demonstrated his talent that has led his teammates to say he is “one of the best strikers the world can be”. .

Jacob Tanswell, Oliver Kay and Liam Tharme analyze the game.

How did Duran score from there?

Duran is arguably Europe's best super submarine. And on Villa Park's biggest night in decades and in the Champions League against Bayern Munich, he was the decisive factor again.

Duran came on as a substitute in the 69th minute after Ollie Watkins' challenge with Upamecano had run its course. Emery realized that with Duran's pace and power, freshness could make all the difference.

The goal itself was a disaster from a defensive perspective, but the result was that the Bayern defenders were content to follow Villa's attackers and were thrown out of shape as a result.

Emiliano Martinez started the move quickly before Pau Torres played a whipped left-footed pass into the channel where Duran was ahead of Upamecano.

As the ball bounced towards him, the Colombian international looked up to see how far Bayern goalkeeper Manuel Neuer had already progressed.

And despite having little time to prepare, he embodied his confidence by leaning on the throw to Neuer, who was stuck outside his penalty area and nowhere.

Duran's tally as a substitute in all competitions is now nine goals and 38 shots with an xG of 4.55 – finishing twice as well as the average striker.

Jacob Tanswell

Has Watkins softened Upamecano?

Bayern's aggressive man-to-man pressing came with a big risk: they left Watkins isolated against Upamecano.

Vincent Kompany clearly felt there were enough advantages as he was able to quell Villa's central build-up and dominant possession (65 percent in the first half).

However, the plan's fatal flaw was exposed again and again in the first half. Villa's early counter-attacking play was difficult to achieve as he often chose the wrong pass after a setback or executed it poorly. It took them 15 minutes but they found their rhythm and the passes to Watkins started clicking.

During the first scramble between Watkins and Upamecano, with the France international the only defender between him and the goal, the pair's legs became tangled and both ended up on the ground. Watkins had him booked later in the half when he passed as Villa were building up, then turned backwards and Upamecano teed him over.

Kompany had spoken before the game of Villa's “dangerousness on the counter-attack and the runs they want to make backwards” and cited this as the reason for their success last season.

It took 80 minutes for Watkins to be replaced by Duran, but Villa eventually took advantage of Upamecano's yellow card. He had made some risky but clean and aggressive touch tights when Watkins came around and got passes on his feet. With a fresh Duran, Villa could double their deficit, and Duran's freedom to lob Neuer was due to Upamecano being booked and unable to step in.

Liam Tharme

How loud was Villa Park?

There are places where the Champions League anthem is drowned out by boos. Not Villa Park. The Aston Villa fans were so excited – so excited to finally hear it in their stadium – that they belted out the last words: “THE CHAMPIONS!”, as some Italian fans do.

There were also fireworks which added to the occasion, but the party atmosphere gave way to a certain nervous tension as the action began and Bayern had possession of the ball for long periods, unfazed by the inquiries from the Holte End, where the home fans asked: “Who the hell are you?”

By the end of the evening the atmosphere had completely changed into a celebratory mood. It was reminiscent of some of the great nights at Villa Park against Anderlecht and Juventus in the 1980s and against Inter Milan in the 1990s. Bayern fans will not forget the deafening noise that greeted Duran's goal. Villa Park was back on the European football map and it felt so right.

Oliver Kay

Why was Torres' goal ruled out?

Villa Park celebrated wildly after Pau Torres scored a clever finish in the 22nd minute to give the home side the lead, only for it to be ruled out following a VAR review.

There was nothing wrong with Torres' shot from close range, but the video referee determined that Jacob Ramsey (41) was offside on the first long free kick.

The game was initially allowed to continue and the 23-year-old eventually chased the ball to keep it in play before returning it to the penalty area where Torres was finally able to finish, but his celebration was cut short.

Why did Bayern's offensive talents fail?

Can any club in Europe match Bayern Munich's attacking options? Real Madrid maybe because of the quality, but not because of the strength or depth.

However, Bayern never managed to find the right combination tonight. Vincent Kompany started with Serge Gnabry, Michael Olise and Kingsley Coman behind Harry Kane before replacing Jamal Musiala at half-time and Leroy Sane midway through the second half. Bayern dominated possession and often experienced periods of pressure, but chances remained slim until stoppage time, when Gnabry missed a passer and Kane saw a free-kick deflected wide and a header brilliantly saved by Emi Martinez.

Villa defended brilliantly, responding to Emery's call for more concentration, but a failure by Bayern's strikers could attract Munich's attention after a goalless start to the season.

They scored 29 goals in their first six games of the season in all competitions, but in their last two games, at home to Bayer Leverkusen and away to Villa, they lacked penetration – evidenced in this case by the way Duran Upamecano punished, compounded for the kind of small mistake that always seemed Villa's most likely route to victory.

Oliver Kay

How was Philogene's first start?

There was only one surprise in Aston Villa's starting XI – Jaden Philogene replaced Leon Bailey. Philogene has yet to start a game since returning to Villa from Hull City in the summer.

Philogene was tasked with supporting Ezri Konsa on Villa's right-hand side, which presented a difficult challenge for a 20-year-old who up to that point had only played regular Championship football. Bayern would position their full-backs high and wide while Kingsley Coman would advance into pockets in the left channel and along with Michael Olise drifting past, Bayern intended to create a three-on-two with Philogene and Konsa on that side.

In the early stages, Philogene seemed visibly unsure who to follow – especially when the ball was on the opposite side, often either too low, imitating a right-back, or too high. Villa only had 34 percent possession in the first half, meaning Philogene played mainly without the ball.

However, thanks to Jacob Ramsey midway through the first half, he seemed more comfortable after crossing. Philogene was confident on the ball and combined well with Lucas Digne, but had few one-on-one opportunities against Bayern right-back Konrad Laimer, only attempted one dribble before half-time and continued to focus on a disciplined role at the hour mark in the second half switch to the right again.

Although his performance did not have his typical flair, he fulfilled the functional task Emery desired.

Jacob Tanswell

(Top photo: James Baylis – AMA/Getty Images)