Aston Villa beat Bayern Munich 1-0 in the Champions League on Wednesday thanks to a brilliant late Jhon Duran while a Salah assist and goal gave Liverpool a 2-0 over Italian side Bologna.
Villa shock Bayern thanks to Duran’s superb late strike
With the Germans dominating possession but squandering chances, Duran ran onto a high ball in the 79th minute, spotted goalkeeper Manuel Neuer off his line, and scooped the ball over him to send Villa Park into delirium.
It was the 20-year-old Colombian striker’s fifth goal from the bench this season after four in the Premier League.
“He’s an excellent substitute. The first time he touched the ball, he chipped Neuer – one of the most beautiful goals in history,” said Villa goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez, whose saves also played a vital part in securing victory.
The win was a throwback to one of Villa’s most glorious days when they beat Bayern to lift the European Cup in 1982.
Duran’s goal came against the run of play as the visitors enjoyed two thirds of possession and the best chances but found World Cup-winning goalkeeper Martinez at his best.
In the first half, the Argentine saved a Harry Kane bullet header, though the striker was later ruled offside, then tipped over a shot from Michael Olise.
At the death, with Bayern pressing for an equaliser, Martinez dived athletically to stop a goal-bound Kane header, drawing a roar almost as loud as the goal.
“It’s unreal. It’s a night that we will remember for a long time. It’s a statement,” Martinez added. “It was hurting my ears. This is a club that’s moving forward. I love playing here. I love the fans.”
PERFECT START
The result gave Villa two wins out of two in the new 36-team league phase of the Champions League, after a first victory 3-0 at Switzerland’s Young Boys.
Bayern, six-times European champions, have begun their campaign with a win and a defeat after their opening 9-2 thrashing of Dinamo Zagreb.
“We missed some big chances and they scored the chance. We’ve got to take the learnings from this,” manager Vincent Kompany said.
“When we have the ball, we’re dangerous, but they’re a strong team, this isn’t an easy place. It wasn’t a bad performance.”
Before Duran’s match winner, Villa thought they had taken the lead and made Bayern pay for missed chances in the first half when Pau Torres stabbed home during a melee in front of goal. But his effort was ruled out for an earlier offside by teammate Jacob Ramsey.
That left Duran to take the hero’s role.
“When he came to the club I didn’t have a clue he was 20. The way he plays, he’s such a handful for defenders when he comes on with all that energy. He knows he’ll get that chance and backs himself 100%,” said fellow striker Morgan Rogers.
“He’s the most chilled, relaxed person I’ve ever met. He’s a different animal when he’s playing.”
Salah sparkles as Liverpool beat Bologna 2-0
Liverpool’s Mohamed Salah set up one goal before bagging his 49th in the Champions League in a 2-0 win over Italian side Bologna at Anfield on Wednesday that kept Arne Slot’s team perfect with their second win in the competition.
A rousing atmosphere greeted Slot and his playersin their first game at Anfield in Europe’s top competition after a year away. Slot’s men had beaten AC Milan 3-1 away in their opener, and Liverpool did not disappoint, with Alexis Mac Allister scoring in the 11th minute, tapping in Salah’s pinpoint cross from close range.
Bologna made a game of it, however, and there was an element of relief around Anfield when Salah blasted home the winner in the 75th minute.
“(Salah) is a player that helps us a lot, sometimes it looks like he’s not in the game but suddenly a perfect touch, he puts the ball in the top corner. That’s his quality, his strength as well,” Liverpool keeper Alisson said.
“We are lucky to have him.”
Mac Allister’s first goal of the season came less than two minutes after Bologna’s Thijs Dallinga slotted the ball past Alisson, but his effort was disallowed for offside.
Liverpool were denied a second goal in the 17th minute of an entertaining night when Darwin Nunez sprinted onto a pass before calmly firing home past Lukasz Skorupski, but the Uruguayan was flagged for offside.
After narrowly missing several scoring chances, Reds talisman Salah finally connected, touching the ball past Juan Miranda before curling a rocket into the top corner.
Moments before his goal, the 32-year-old Salah fired just wide, holding his head in frustration.
While Liverpool dominated much of the night, Bologna were not without their chances, recording 12 shots to Liverpool’s nine. Dan Ndoye hit the post in the first half and then seconds later Alisson was forced to dive to stop Kacper Urbanski’s shot.
“You know very well how difficult it is, especially for guys experiencing stages like this for the first time,” Bologna manager Vincenzo Italiano said.
“Once they got past the initial excitement, though, we played with courage. The boys are starting to adapt to these rhythms, and they put on a great performance.”
The victory propelled Liverpool to fifth in the new 36-team league phase, with the top eight teams automatically qualifying for the last-16. Bologna are 26th with a point after they opened with a 0-0 draw against Shakhtar Donetsk.
It was the eighth win in nine games across all competitions for Slot since he replaced Juergen Klopp. They currently top the Premier League table, a point ahead of Manchester City and Arsenal.
“It is clear we are in transition, we are happy with the ideas, we are trying to get there,” Mac Allister said on his new boss. “There is room for improvement, that’s why we work very hard every day.”
Liverpool — six-times Champions League winners, most recently in 2019 — will look to maintain their perfect record when they play at RB Leipzig on Oct. 23, while Bologna visit Aston Villa on Oct. 22.
Wednesday’s UEFA Champions League Results
Girona (1) 2 Feyenoord (2) 3
Shakhtar Donetsk (0) 0 Atalanta (2) 3
Aston Villa (0) 1 Bayern München (0) 0
Benfica (1) 4 Atlético Madrid (0) 0
Dinamo Zagreb (1) 2 Monaco (0) 2
Lille (1) 1 Real Madrid (0) 0
Liverpool (1) 2 Bologna (0) 0
RB Leipzig (1) 2 Juventus (0) 3
Sturm Graz (0) 0 Club Brugge (1) 1
