Unai Emery's men channelled the class of 1982 in conquering of Bayern Munich... their silencing of Vincent Kompany's free-scoring German giants proves Aston Villa are BACK, writes OLIVER HOLT

A mates of hours earlier nan autobus carrying nan Bayern Munich players moreover arrived astatine Villa Park, location fans began making their pilgrimages to nan mural connected Trinity Road that abuts nan ground.

Kids and adults alike, they stood pinch their backs to nan elephantine likeness of that big-eared European Cup, to person their pictures taken, framed against nan claret and bluish of Aston Villa, and flanked by digits, 10 feet high, signaling nan top number successful their history: 1982.

Around nan corner, flowers had been laid astatine nan ft of nan statue of William McGregor, who served variously arsenic president, head and president of nan nine successful nan precocious 19th century, and was nan laminitis of nan Football League.

The flowers, and nan messages that accompanied them, were for Gary Shaw, nan striker who died past period but will beryllium everlastingly enshrined successful our memories arsenic nan lad pinch a startling daze of blonde hairsbreadth who was 1 of nan stars of nan Villa broadside that won nan top nine tourney of all.

Upstairs, successful nan crowded property room, 1 spot remained quiet and, connected nan table adjacent to it, location was a image of Shaw pinch nan European Cup that he and his team-mates won successful Rotterdam 42 years agone erstwhile they hit Bayern successful nan final.

A connection explained it had been his spot successful caller years and that it would stay quiet arsenic a motion of respect. 'Rest successful Peace, Gary,' it said. Shaw's sanction was besides written astatine nan bottommost of nan Villa teamsheet connected nan backmost page of nan programme.

And nan mind drifted back. All nan measurement backmost to March 2nd, 1983, a Wednesday night, a schoolhouse nighttime for maine then, nan past clip Villa played a European Cup aliases Champions League necktie successful beforehand of their ain fans.

I was present astatine Villa Park that nighttime erstwhile Villa played nan mighty Juventus. Not successful nan comfortableness of a property container seat, not pinch grey hairsbreadth and a brace of spectacles, staring astatine a lap-top, fretting astir words and deadlines.

But wide-eyed pinch excitement, carried on by nan crowd, swaying and surging successful nan roiling, broiling magnificence of nan Holte End, a majestic terrace that seemed to emergence up each nan measurement to nan nighttime sky.

I still retrieve nan visceral thrill of seeing Paolo Rossi, nan leader of nan erstwhile summer's World Cup, scoring successful beforehand of america successful nan 2nd infinitesimal arsenic if it were yesterday. For a agelong time, I did not watch replays of that goal. I wanted to sphere it successful my representation arsenic I had seen it, not person it refracted by television.

I retrieve nan thrill of seeing Michel Platini play live. And Zbigniew Boniek. And Marco Tardelli, still nan holder of nan prize for nan top extremity ceremony of each time. And Rossi. And nan notorious hatchet man, Claudio Gentile.

And past location was Villa. English clubs were kings of Europe then, moreover much than they are now, and Villa had beaten Bayern Munich to assistance nan trophy nan erstwhile summertime to adhd their sanction to nan caller triumphs of Liverpool and Nottingham Forest. They were our standard-bearers that season.

I loved watching Gordon Cowans play astir of all. He scored nan equaliser for Villa successful that European Cup 4th last first limb earlier Boniek grabbed a precocious victor for Juve. I loved Cowans' elegance, his passing and his vision. He was my favourite Villa player.

Shaw was not acold behind. What a striker he was. There was thing wonderfully unvarnished astir him, too. He was nan kid of nan team, nan youngest of each of them. There was thing cynical astir him. He played pinch joyousness written each complete his features. He was nan benignant of subordinate neutrals loved.

So this was a hugely affectional nighttime successful nan Second City. It was a hymn to nan past but it was besides an clasp of Villa's renaissance nether coach Unai Emery. That it should beryllium Bayern who were Villa's first Champions League visitors gave nan evening a beautiful symmetry.

In nan spot of Rossi, Platini and Tardelli, a caller procreation of Villa fans, including Prince William, will retrieve this nighttime arsenic nan juncture they saw different of nan awesome European giants astatine this cathedral of English football, nan nighttime they sewage to watch stars for illustration Manuel Neuer, Joshua Kimmich, Jamal Musiala, Kingsley Coman and England's all-time starring goalscorer Harry Kane.

Bayern person scored 30 goals successful 7 games nether nan guidance of Vincent Kompany this season, including their 9-2 rout of Dinamo Zagreb successful their first Champions League tie. They started for illustration royalty, too. Kane had an early header saved by Emiliano Martinez but replays showed he had drifted offside.

Villa were not overawed for long, though. They thought they had scored midway done nan half erstwhile Torres toe-poked nan shot past Neuer aft a goalmouth melee but a VAR cheque showed Jacob Ramsey was offside earlier successful nan move.

Dayot Upamecano was booked for pulling down Ollie Watkins erstwhile Watkins span distant from him to pursuit a precocious shot complete nan apical but Bayern should person taken nan lead erstwhile Serge Gnabry burst free down nan right. Kane was screaming for nan shot successful nan mediate but Gnabry blasted it precocious and wide. Kane made his displeasure clear.

Kompany brought Jamal Musiala connected astatine half time. Quite why he had not started nan lucifer was a enigma because he is simply a Rolls Royce of a subordinate and his power helped Bayern regain nan precocious hand. An hr had gone erstwhile he dribbled past half nan Villa squad and was only denied a extremity by a last-ditch block.

Now and again, nan cameras showed immoderate of nan Boys of 82, including nan captain, Dennis Mortimer, and Peter Withe, nan scorer of nan victor against Bayern 42 years ago, gazing down from nan stands.

Withe whitethorn person been peculiarly willing successful nan performances of Kane and Watkins, nan strikers duelling for nan domiciled arsenic England's centre forward, but some were comparatively peripheral. Watkins was substituted pinch 20 minutes to go.

His replacement was Jhon Duran, nan supersub who has made a wont of scoring spectacular precocious goals. Now, connected this nighttime of each nights, he did it again. Pau Torres swept nan shot guardant to him, and moreover though Upamecano was shadowing him, Duran saw that Neuer had ventured retired of his goal.

Duran swivelled and deed nan shot pinch his near ft successful 1 movement, lifting it brilliantly complete Neuer and into nan net. Villa Park erupted successful joy. Fans hugged each other. Some wept. Football is beautiful for illustration that. Its traditions and its histories echo down nan ages.

And sometimes, connected typical nights for illustration this, history repeats itself. Martinez saved superbly precocious connected from Michael Olise and erstwhile nan last whistle went, Villa had won 1-0, conscionable arsenic they did connected that aureate nighttime successful Rotterdam 42 years ago.

How Gary Shaw would person loved it. How he would person revelled successful what is happening astatine his club. Villa are back.