BIRMINGHAM, England (AP) — Aston Villa goalkeeper Emiliano Martínez said the crowd was the loudest he had ever heard at Villa Park after he helped his team beat Bayern Munich 1-0 in the Champions League on Wednesday night hit.

Jhon Duran’s long-range shot in the 79th minute was enough to give Villa a memorable win over Vincent Kompany’s Bayern Munich. It was the hosts’ first European Cup game at Villa Park in 41 years.

Bayern had the majority of possession and had chances to level the game late on, but Martinez saved brilliantly to keep out a close-range header from Harry Kane. And after the game, the Argentine world champion paid tribute to the fans and dedicated the victory to them.

“This is definitely the loudest Villa Park I’ve heard since I joined the club,” Martinez said. “At one point it hurt my ears. I love playing here. I love the fans. This is a victory for them.”

While Martinez’s brilliant saves late on secured the three points, they had Duran’s incredible strike to thank for the famous victory. The goal came when Pau Torres’ long ball split the Bayern defense and Duran fired a first-time shot from 30 yards out that flew over Manuer Neuer’s head. Neuer often stood outside his penalty area when Bayern attacked and Unai Emery revealed after the game that Villa had seen this as an area of ​​opportunity.

“When Duran received the ball, he shot quickly,” Emery said. “In the analysis we talked a lot about how Neuer’s usual positioning is always high (and what it is). I talked to my assistant coaches about how to shoot (the first time), and he had that in his head.”

Duran has had an incredible talent for scoring late winners for Villa this season. He has played four times in the Premier League this season, three of which secured important wins for Villa. Emery started Ollie Watkins in attack against Bayern and played 70 minutes before being replaced by the match winner.

The Villa manager said having two in-form strikers was a welcome problem and Watkins was also excellent at Villa.

“It’s a challenge for my management because I have to get the best (out of the players),” Emery said. “It’s a good problem for the team as I have a striker – Watkins, who plays at the top level and a young player who is developing his talent and wants to be in the starting XI. I am very happy with this situation.”

“It was important that Watkins got the job done in 70 minutes and Duran, in different ways, as a fresher player, scored the goal to win the game. They have played together and will play together.”

Villa have won both of their Champions League games so far, having also beaten Young Boys 3-0, and Emery said his team was aiming for one of the top eight places in the competition’s group stages, giving Villa direct qualification for the would allow the knockout round to be played without requiring qualification.

“I’m very proud of everything about Aston Villa,” Emery said afterwards.

The visitors had plenty of chances but were frustrated by Martinez and some brilliant defensive attempts from Villa. Despite the defeat, Kompany said it would have little long-term impact on his team’s Champions League prospects.

It was a night full of nostalgia at Villa Park as the two met in the 1982 European Cup final, a game Villa won 1-0. But Kompany said such memories had no bearing on Wednesday’s game.

“When it comes to winning and losing, you don’t need the context of so many years,” he said. “We lost the game, the game has its own stories. We had great chances and they had a moment, and in that moment they scored a goal. I understand the reason for the opponent, but it doesn’t decide the Champions League today.”

And after his side scored just one goal in their last two games – a 1-1 draw with Bayer Leverkusen – Kompany played down any concerns about their recent profligacy in front of goal.

“In two games against teams that I rate highly, we hardly conceded any chances,” said Kompany. “Normally we score such good goals, for one reason or another, against the crossbar or the post, but with the team we have I don’t see that as a trend. That’s just what happened this week.” .

“If we concentrate on our own work, we will win many more games.”