Aston Villa's triumphant return to Champions League after 41-year absence begins with a flawless start

ASTON VILLA VICTORIOUS IN CHAMPIONS LEAGUE RETURN In a classy performance, Aston Villa secured a 3-0 victory over Swiss side Young Boys on September 17th in their long-awaited return to the Champions League. This marked the first time in 41 years that Aston Villa had participated in the prestigious tournament, making their comeback even more impressive.

Villa boss Unai Emery had urged his team to take three points in Bern as a tribute to the club’s former striker Gary Shaw, who died on Sept 16 aged 63 after being injured in a fall.

Shaw’s tragic death carried extra poignancy as he was a key member of the Villa side that shocked Bayern Munich in the 1982 European Cup final.

A picture of Shaw celebrating Peter Withe’s winner against Bayern adorns Villa’s training ground and the players wore black armbands during their Champions League opener in memory of the local hero.

Clad in the number eight shirt that Shaw made his own at Villa, it was fitting that Youri Tielemans opened the scoring against Young Boys and celebrated by pointing to his jersey.

Jacob Ramsey bagged Villa’s second goal before the interval and Amadou Onana added the third in the closing stages as Emery’s men eased to a victory four decades in the making.

“Of course we want to dedicate this victory to Gary Shaw, his family and all of the Aston Villa family,” Emery said.

“Forty-two years (ago) they achieved winning the Champions League. We want to try and follow what that team achieved.”

Villa are back in the Champions League after surprisingly finishing fourth in the Premier League last term.

Clashes with Bayern Munich and Juventus await among their remaining seven fixtures in the revamped league stage of the competition.

But this cathartic victory will forever hold a special place for Villa fans given their remarkable return to relevance since Emery was hired to replace the sacked Steven Gerrard in 2022.

Just five years ago, Villa were stuck in English football’s second tier, with dreams of facing Europe’s elite reserved for only the most optimistic supporters.