Aston Villa returned to the Champions League with a 3-0 win over Swiss side Young Boys, their first game in the tournament in 41 years.
Unai Emery, the club’s manager, asked his players to win three points in Bern as a memorial to former scorer Gary Shaw, who died aged 63 after being hurt in a fall.
Shaw was a major player of Villa’s team that defeated Bayern Munich in the 1982 European Cup final. Villa’s players wore black armbands during their UEFA League opener in honor of their fallen hero.
Youri Tielemans opened the scoring, followed by Jacob Ramsey’s goal and Amadou Onana’s third goal in the dying minutes, securing a four-decade victory for the team.
The spectacular triumph will always hold a special place in the hearts of Villa fans, considering the club’s extraordinary return to importance since Emery was appointed in 2022 to replace the fired Steven Gerrard.
Written by Cheta Enyohasi
