Aston Villa 1-0 Bayern Munich: Player ratings as Duran stunner earns Villans victory

Aston Villa's first home game in Europe's premier competition since 1983 ended in victory on Wednesday evening as they beat Bayern Munich 1-0 in the Champions League.

In a repeat of the 1982 European Cup final, Jhon Duran scored an exquisite winner in the 79th minute to continue his remarkable record of scoring from the bench this season.

After beating Young Boys 3-0 in their European opener this term, Villa's defence reigned supreme against Bayern as they secured back-to-back victories to make the perfect start to their Champions League return.

How the game unfolded

Hosting their first Champions League match at Villa Park since the European Cup's rebranding, Aston Villa were roared on by a deafening home crowd as the first whistle blew. But the visitors were not to be overawed as they dominated early proceedings without testing Emiliano Martinez regularly.

Villa were happy to surrender territory to a Bayern side hungry for possession but were swift to punish them on the counter-attack. Ollie Watkins bamboozled Dayot Upamecano more than once following fast breaks, with the French defender perhaps fortunate to avoid a red card after felling the England forward twice in quick succession.

The hosts thought they had taken the lead following Upamecano's second foul on Watkins, with centre-back Pau Torres poking home from the subsequent free kick. Jubilant celebrations were cut short however, with VAR penalising Jacob Ramsey for being offside in the build-up.

Spurred on by an almighty scare, Bayern left their brightest moment for the end of the half as summer recruit Michael Olise brought the best out in Martinez. The former Crystal Palace winger took aim with his left foot from 25 yards and forced the Villa goalkeeper into a fine save as the ball arrowed towards the top corner.

With neither side able to get their nose in front before the half-time whistle, the patterns of the first period were unchanged after the restart. Bayern continued to have a stranglehold on possession and created a few half chances early doors, with Olise seeing two efforts blocked before Serge Gnabry's tame shot was comfortably held by Martinez.

The game appeared to be petering out as defences prevailed but it was super sub Duran who proved Villa's saviour once again. Torres' exquisite pass into the Colombian was finished to perfection, with Duran taking his strike early and lifting the ball over the stranded Manuel Neuer from 25 yards out. An astonishing finish from the in-form forward.

Villa held firm defensively but had Martinez to thank in the dying stages as he made two excellent saves to deny Gnabry and then Harry Kane, with the Argentine's impressive stops securing a memorable Champions League victory for the Villans.

Aston Villa player ratings (4-4-2)

GK: Emiliano Martinez - 9/10 - Produced a stellar save to deny Olise at the end of the first half and two fantastic saves to prevent Gnabry and Kane from rescuing a late point. Another terrific display from the World Cup winner.

RB: Ezri Konsa - 8/10 - Combative and fierce in the tackle up against Kingsley Coman and was similarly defiant after the French winger was replaced at half-time. An excellent display at right-back.

CB: Diego Carlos - 8/10 - After a few shaky recent displays, Carlos stepped up impressively against Harry Kane and co. Didn't put a foot wrong in a performance that will do his confidence the world of good.

CB: Pau Torres - 9/10 - Thought he had handed Villa the lead with a striker's finish inside the penalty area only for the officials to deny him. Defensively sound against some tricky forwards and provided a sumptuous ball for Duran's strike.

LB: Lucas Digne - 8/10 - Forced to battle Gnabry, Olise and then Leroy Sane, standing up to each of them well. Deservedly earned himself a clean sheet.

RM: Jaden Philogene - 7/10 - Switched to the left flank after Leon Bailey's introduction during the first half and was immediately more involved. Made some testing runs down the touchline as he grew more involved.

CM: Amadou Onana - 6/10 - Made some good interventions in the first half but struggled with a nagging injury after the half-hour mark. Only lasted 15 minutes after the break.

CM: Youri Tielemans - 7/10 - Offered some calm to Villa's midfield, dictating the tempo for the home side when the ball turned over. Did the simple things well and rarely surrendered possession.

LM: Jacob Ramsey - 6/10 - Visibly dejected as he left the field early on such an important night due to injury, with Bailey replacing him.

ST: Morgan Rogers - 6/10 - Uncharacteristically sloppy in the early minutes but grew into the game with some impressive runs and neat touches to start counter-attacks.

ST: Ollie Watkins - 7/10 - After a slow start to the season, Watkins once again showed his lively best against Bayern after four goals in his previous four matches. Some excellent runs in behind caused Upamecano and Kim Min-jae some serious issues.

Substitutes

SUB: Leon Bailey (27' for Ramsey) - 5/10 - Withdrawn before the hour mark despite only coming on in the 27th minute. It didn't appear to be an injury, with Bailey having been unable to influence the game during his short time on the pitch.

SUB: Ian Maatsen (59' for Bailey) - 6/10

SUB: Ross Barkley (59' for Onana) - 5/10

SUB: Jhon Duran (70' for Watkins) - 9/10 - The young forward has proved a revelation off the bench for Villa this season and he found the back of the net again with an inventive and clinical effort.

Subs not used: Joe Gauci (GK), Oliwier Zych (GK), Kosta Nedeljkovic, Lamare Bogarde, Matty Cash, Sil Swinkels, Emiliano Buendia, Kadan Young.

Manager

Unai Emery - 9/10 - Animated throughout on the touchline and will be impressed by his side's stoic defensive display. Secured victory with his favourite sub doing the business of the bench once more.

Bayern Munich player ratings (4-2-3-1)

GK: Manuel Neuer - 4/10 - Typically advanced in his own half when required to sweep up but was caught too high as Duran lobbed him.

RB: Konrad Laimer - 6/10 - Found life more difficult after the restart against the lively Philogene but made some key interventions in his own half, including one that denied Villa a clear goalscoring chance.

CB: Dayot Upamecano - 4/10 - Struggled with the pace and directness of Watkins as the Villa forward frequently darted in behind Bayern's high line. Could have been sent off on another day.

CB: Kim Min-jae - 6/10 - More convincing than his centre-back partner without looking entirely comfortable up against Watkins and Villa's other speedy forwards.

LB: Alphonso Davies - 6/10 - Made some agile bursts up the pitch as expected and put in a determined defensive display.

DM: Joshua Kimmich - 7/10 - Orchestrated proceedings from midfield, dropping deep to gain possession and finding teammates with his excellent range of passing. Unfortunate to be on the losing side.

DM: Aleksandar Pavlovic - 6/10 - Another mature outing from the young midfielder, who was efficient in and out of possession.

RW: Serge Gnabry - 5/10 - Switched to the left-hand side after an underwhelming first half performance and struggled to get any more joy up against a rigid Villa defence.

AM: Michael Olise - 7/10 - At the heart of Bayern's best moments with glimpses of his trickery and ingenuity. His influence waned after half-time, though.

LW: Kingsley Coman - 5/10 - Struggled to get the better of Konsa with his forward runs and was withdrawn at half time by his manager.

ST: Harry Kane - 6/10 - A quiet evening back in England for the Bayern sharpshooter, who was crying out for more service from his teammates.

Substitutes

SUB: Jamal Musiala (46' for Coman) - 6/10 - A surprise omission from the start and made a positive impact as Bayern attempted to break Villa down.

SUB: Leroy Sane (66' for Olise) - 6/10

SUB: Joao Palhinha (76' for Pavlovic) - 6/10

SUB: Mathys Tel (86' for Laimer) - N/A

SUB: Leon Goretzka (86' for Kim) - N/A

Subs not used: Daniel Peretz (GK), Sven Ulreich (GK), Eric Dier, Raphael Guerreiro, Thomas Muller.

Manager

Vincent Kompany - 6/10 - Took a fair few risks with an extremely high line, relying heavily on Bayern's press working effectively. It did for the most part but Villa's goal showed the downside of such a set-up.

Player of the match: Emiliano Martinez (Aston Villa)

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