Unai Emery dedicated Aston Villa’s impressive win over Young Boys on their Champions League debut to club legend Gary Shaw, whose death was announced the day before the start of their European campaign.
Striker Shaw, who died aged 63, was part of the last Villa side to take part in the competition, triumphing in 1981/82, when it was known as the European Cup.
“First of all, this victory is for Gary Shaw,” Emery said after the 3-0 victory in Bern. “We can follow in the Champions League, winning like they [did]. We want to celebrate this victory and dedicate it to Gary Shaw and the Aston Villa family.”
“This victory is for Gary Shaw.”
— Aston Villa (@AVFCOfficial) September 17, 2024
Young Boys vs Aston Villa
Villa dispelled concerns over the Swiss side’s synthetic pitch in commanding fashion, Youri Tielemans drilling them ahead in the 27th minute before Jacob Ramsey capitalised on calamitous defending to make it 2-0 seven minutes before the break.
The Villans looked comfortable during the second half, the pick of the goals coming when Amadou Onana struck from distance with four minutes remaining.
Emery said Villa’s experiences during their run to the Conference League semi-finals last season had shown them how “difficult” away games in Europe are.
Youri Tielemans’ reaction after last night’s win in Bern 
pic.twitter.com/EW7NP2Sm4V
— Aston Villa (@AVFCOfficial) September 18, 2024
“We focused very well over 90 minutes, being consistent and respecting [Young Boys],” said the three-time Europa League winner.
“They started pushing in the first 15 minutes. We defended well and were progressively adapting to the pitch. We imposed our capacity to beat them, always respecting them.
“The most important thing is the process we are doing here. Some players don’t have experiences at the level of the Champions League and others do.”
I use to pray for times like this. My @ChampionsLeague debut
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Author : Ben Miller
Publish date : 2024-09-18 08:26:43
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The post Emery says Villans can win Champions League in Shaw tribute first appeared on Soccer News.
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Author : soccernews
Publish date : 2024-09-18 08:30:44
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