Prince William left in shock after Aston Villa stun Bayern Munich
A shocked Prince William admitted he “could not believe it” after watching Villa stun Bayern Munich in the Champions League.
William, a lifelong supporter, was at Villa Park to see Unai Emery’s team beat the Bavarian giants 1-0 thanks to Jhon Duran’s audacious winner.
The scoreline matched that of the 1982 European Cup final, in what was Villa’s first home match in Europe’s elite club competition in 41 years.
His Royal Highness briefly stopped to speak to reporters when leaving the stadium after the final whistle.
The Prince of Wales said: “I’ve lost my voice. I can’t believe it, 42 years.”
Duran’s goal saw Villa become the first team to beat Bayern in the Champions League group stages since Paris St Germain, then also managed by Emery, seven years ago.
With Villa’s heroes of 1982 watching on from the stands, goalkeeper Emi Martinez pulled off two stunning stoppage time saves to preserve the lead.
Martinez later saluted the Villa Park crowd as the hosts made it two wins from two in the Champions League, following up last month’s 3-0 win over Young Boys.
"It's unreal to be fair,” he said. “This is the loudest Villa Park that I've heard since I joined the club, that's for sure, it was hurting my ears at some point.”
The competition’s expanded format means Villa are already well placed to qualify for the knockout stages, with the top-eight teams of 36 going directly through to the last-16.
Martinez continued: "This win is a statement, there's still a lot to play. We want to qualify in the first eight, in the top eight, it's one step at a time. We are probably more relaxed but we want to win every game."