A few hours before the bus carrying the Bayern Munich players even arrived at Villa Park, the home fans began making their pilgrimages to the Trinity Road mural that hugs the ground.
Children and adults alike stood with their backs to the giant big-eared likeness of the European Cup to have their photos taken, framed against the burgundy and blue of Aston Villa, and flanked by three-metre tall figures depicting the biggest events captured. number in their history: 1982.
Around the corner, flowers had been laid at the foot of the statue of William McGregor, who alternately served as president, director and chairman of the club in the late 19th century and was the founder of the Football League.
The flowers, and the messages that accompanied them, were for Gary Shaw, the striker who passed away last month but will forever be enshrined in our memories as the boy with a surprising shock of blond hair who was one of the stars of the Villa side he won the biggest club tournament of them all.
Upstairs, in the crowded press room, one chair remained empty and on the desk next to it was a photo of Shaw with the European Cup that he and his teammates won in Rotterdam 42 years ago when they defeated Bayern in the final.
Jhon Duran ghosted past Bayern’s backline late in the second half and caught Manuel Neuer off his line
The occasion required little billing. The West Midlands club, long regarded as sleeping giants, were back where they call it home
A floating ball found Morgan Rogers and after the ball ended up in the penalty area, Torres was there to turn the ball home. But the VAR ruled it out
A message explained that it had been his seat for the past few years and that it would be left empty as a sign of respect. “Rest in peace, Gary,” it said. Shaw’s name also appeared at the bottom of the Villa team sheet on the back page of the programme.
And the mind wandered back. All the way back to March 2, 1983, a Wednesday evening, a school night for me then, the last time Villa played a European Cup or Champions League match in front of their own fans.
I was here at Villa Park that evening when Villa played against the mighty Juventus. Not in the comfort of a press seat, not with gray hair and glasses, staring at a laptop, agonizing over words and deadlines.
But wide-eyed with excitement, carried along by the crowd, swaying and swaying in the swirling, sultry splendor of Holte End, a majestic terrace that seemed to reach all the way to the night sky.
I still remember the intense sensation of seeing Paolo Rossi, last summer’s World Cup hero, score for us in the second minute as if it were yesterday. I haven’t seen replays of that goal for a long time. I wanted to keep it in my memory as I had seen it, and not let it be broken by the television.
I remember the thrill of seeing Michel Platini play live. And Zbigniew Boniek. And Marco Tardelli, still the holder of the award for the greatest goal celebration of all time. And Rossi. And the infamous hatchet man, Claudio Gentile.
And then there was Villa. English clubs were kings of Europe then, even more so than now, and Villa had beaten Bayern Munich and lifted the trophy the previous summer to add their names to recent victories over Liverpool and Nottingham Forest. They were our standard bearers that season.
I especially enjoyed watching Gordon Cowans play. He scored the equalizer for Villa in the first leg of the European Cup quarter-final before Boniek grabbed a late winner for Juve. I loved Cowans’ elegance, his passing, and his vision. He was my favorite Villa player.
Unai Emery’s team caused Vincent Kompany’s first defeat as Bayern boss
The home side made one change from the 2-2 draw with Ipswich in the Premier League on Sunday, with Jaden Philogene replacing Leon Bailey.
Meanwhile, Harry Kane recovered just in time from an ankle injury he suffered during Bayern’s 1-1 draw against Bayer Leverkusen
And the England captain had the first chance of the match after a ball floated delightfully onto his head unopposed in the box
Ollie Watkins was often brought down by Dayot Upamecano running back towards the goal
Shaw wasn’t far behind. What a striker that was. There was also something wonderfully unvarnished about him. He was the kid on the team, the youngest of them all. There was nothing cynical about him. He played with joy evident in his features. He was the kind of player that neutrals loved.
So this was a hugely emotional evening in the Second City. It was a hymn to the past, but it was also an embrace of Villa’s renaissance under coach Unai Emery. That it had to be Bayern who were Villa’s first Champions League visitors gave the evening a wonderful symmetry.
In place of Rossi, Platini and Tardelli, a new generation of Villa fans, including Prince William, will remember this evening as the occasion when they saw another great European giant in this cathedral of English football, the night when they looked for stars could watch the likes of Manuel Neuer, Joshua Kimmich, Jamal Musiala, Kingsley Coman and England’s all-time top scorer Harry Kane.
Bayern have scored 30 goals in seven games this season under Vincent Kompany, including the 9-2 defeat to Dinamo Zagreb in their first Champions League match. They also started out as royalty. Kane had an early header saved by Emiliano Martinez, but replays showed him offside.
However, Villa was not impressed for long. They thought they had scored midway through the half when Torres poked the ball past Neuer after a goal, but a VAR check showed Jacob Ramsey had been offside earlier in the action.
Dayot Upamecano was booked for bringing down Ollie Watkins when Watkins turned away from him to chase a high ball over the top, but Bayern should have taken the lead when Serge Gnabry burst over the right. Kane shouted for the ball in the middle, but Gnabry shot the ball high and wide. Kane made his displeasure clear.
Kompany brought on Jamal Musiala at halftime. Why he didn’t start the match was a mystery as he is a Rolls Royce player and his influence helped Bayern regain the upper hand. An hour had passed when he dribbled past half the Villa side only to be denied a goal by a last-ditch block.
Occasionally the cameras showed some of the Boys of 82, including the captain, Dennis Mortimer, and Peter Withe, the goalscorer of the winner against Bayern 42 years ago, looking down from the stands.
Withe may have been particularly interested in the performances of Kane and Watkins, the strikers vying for the role as England striker, but both were relatively peripheral. Watkins was substituted with twenty minutes to go.
His replacement was Jhon Duran, the super sub who has made a habit of scoring spectacular late goals. Now, on this night of all nights, he did it again. Pau Torres swept the ball towards him, and although Upamecano shadowed him, Duran saw that Neuer had ventured out of his goal.
Pau Torres thought he had given his team the lead, but he was ruled offside
Prince William was present in a raucous Villa Park tonight
Emiliano Martinez made some smart saves in the first half to keep the scoreline goalless
Duran turned and struck the ball with his left foot in one motion, brilliantly lifting it over Neuer and into the net. Villa Park erupted with joy. Fans hugged each other. Some cried. Football is that beautiful. Its traditions and history echo through the ages.
And sometimes history repeats itself on special nights like this. Martinez saved brilliantly late on from Michael Olise and by the final whistle Villa had won 1-0, just like on that golden evening in Rotterdam 42 years ago.
How Gary Shaw would have enjoyed it. How he would have enjoyed what is happening at his club. Villa is back.