Unai Emery has once again proven his tactical brilliance, guiding Aston Villa to a 1-0 victory over Bayern Munich in the UEFA Champions League. This latest triumph adds to Emery’s remarkable record against the German giants, having also beaten them while managing PSG and Villarreal. The only other manager to beat Bayern with three different teams is Jose Mourinho.
‘You Play Against The Best Teams In UCL’ – Unai Emery
The Aston Villa boss spoke with pride after the match, emphasizing the significance of competing against Europe’s elite teams. “Europe always is something special, but there is Europe in the Conference League, Europa League, and Champions League. In the Champions League, you are playing against the best teams in the world,” Emery stated during the press conference.
Reflecting on the win, Emery added, “It was not the most important to win, it was how we could compete… We competed very well. We needed to compete defensively more than normal.”
Unai Emery’s Side Displayed Solidity in Defense
Aston Villa were able to secure the win against the Bundesliga heavyweights at Villa Park due to their resilience in defending and the goalkeeping heroics of Emiliano Martinez who made important saves at the death and made sure his side secured all three points.
Jhon Duran‘s goal in the 79th minute proved to be the winner as Aston Villa made it two wins from two in the UEFA Champions League and following their shock win over Bayern Munich, Unai Emery side will return to Premier League action where they will face Manchester United in the weekend.
“I can feel now proud of our work, proud of how we are here, getting better, increasing our level,” Emery concluded. “You can win or lose… but I am very proud of everything around Aston Villa.” Unai Emery added
Emery’s Impressive Record Against Bayern Munich
As earlier stated, the former Arsenal and Villarreal manager has matched José Mourinho’s impressive record, becoming the second manager to defeat Bayern Munich with three different teams in the UEFA Champions League. Emery’s recent 1-0 victory with Aston Villa follows his previous wins: a 3-0 triumph with Paris Saint-Germain in the 2017/18 group stages and a 1-0 win with Villarreal in the 2021/22 quarter-final first leg.
José Mourinho first accomplished this with Inter Milan, Chelsea, and Real Madrid. He notably guided Inter to a 2-0 win against Bayern Munich in the 2009/10 Champions League final, securing the prestigious title. Before that, Mourinho’s Chelsea defeated Bayern 4-2 at home in the 2004/05 quarter-final, and in the 2011/12 semi-final with Real Madrid, Mourinho’s team won 2-1 in the second leg after losing the first leg by the same scoreline, but ultimately lost 4:3 on penalties.
The fact that both Emery and Mourinho have managed to defeat a team as dominant as Bayern Munich, renowned for their consistent success in Europe, speaks volumes about their tactical expertise, especially considering the fact that the former kept clean sheets in all three encounters.
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