close
close

first Drop

Com TW NOw News 2024

Days after his suspension, Emi Martinez lets Prince William celebrate in the Champions League
news

Days after his suspension, Emi Martinez lets Prince William celebrate in the Champions League

Days after being banned by FIFA, Argentina goalkeeper Emiliano Martínez produced heroics for a watching Prince William as Aston Villa sealed another famous victory against Bayern Munich.

The Prince of Wales was among the delirious crowds at Villa Park on Wednesday to watch his beloved football team win 1-0 in the Champions League on Wednesday.

Substitute Jhon Duran scored a winner in the 79th minute but two brilliant late saves from Martinez prevented a fightback from six-time European champions Bayern, leaving William to celebrate.

“This is the loudest Villa Park I’ve heard since I joined the club. That’s for sure. It hurt my ears at one point,” said Martinez, who was suspended by FIFA last week for two upcoming international matches for unspecified incidents during Argentina’s World Cup qualifiers against Chile and Colombia.

“I love playing here. I love the fans. This is a win for them.”

Martinez denied Serge Gnabry in a one-on-one in injury time and then acrobatically kept out Harry Kane’s header.

Villa’s victory came more than 42 years after he defeated Bayern 1-0 to lift the European Cup in 1982, the same year William was born.

This was only the second time the teams met.

It was also Villa’s first home match in European football’s elite competition since losing to Juventus in the quarter-finals as defending champions in 1983.

William, a lifelong Villa fan, met members of the European Cup-winning team and posed for photos before the match.

“42 years later, our legends who won the 1982 European Cup are here on a historic evening,” he wrote on

William, who is also a patron of the English Football Association, sat in an executive box, dressed casually in a dark blue button-up jacket over a maroon jumper and a blue shirt – the colors of Villa.

He was seen hugging another fan sitting with him as the home crowd enjoyed his latest victory over German giants Bayern.

He was also cheering in the first half when Pau Torres appeared to have given Villa the lead in the 23rd minute, only for the goal to be ruled out by VAR for offside.

There was no reprieve for Bayern when Duran struck and continued his remarkable scoring record this season.

Arriving in the 70th, he whipped in a shot for the first time from around 25 yards to beat Bayern keeper Manuel Neuer.

It was the Colombian striker’s sixth goal in nine games this season, having come on as a substitute in eight of them.

Villa has now recorded back-to-back victories in the new-look Champions League.

The defeat for Bayern was the first under manager Vincent Kompany, who took over in the off-season.

___

James Robson is present https://twitter.com/jamesalanrobson

___

AP Football: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer