Aston Villa’s dream return to the Champions League goes on after goals from John McGinn and Jhon Duran earned a 2-0 win over Bologna and sent them top of the table on Wednesday.
Villa last played in the top tier of European football back in 1983 but Unai Emery’s transformation of a sleeping giant knows no bounds as the only side to register three wins from three games of the competition so far.
The atmosphere around Villa Park was a far cry from the giant killing of Bayern Munich three weeks ago in a repeat of Villa’s greatest ever night in winning the 1982 European Cup.
But the home fans still had plenty to celebrate as McGinn’s free-kick flew beyond everyone into the far corner before Duran kept up his prolific strike rate on a rare start for the Colombian.
Bologna, by contrast, have just one point from their opening three games and one win in 11 games in all competitions this season.
The Rossoblu were one of the stories of European football last season as they finished fifth in Serie A to qualify for the Champions League for the first time in 60 years.
However, they have struggled since losing star players Riccardo Calafiori and Joshua Zirkzee to Premier League giants Arsenal and Manchester United, while coach Thiago Motta left to take charge of Juventus.
Emery said on the eve of the game he wants to “break barriers” at a club that has not won a trophy since 1996.
And the Spaniard showed the impressive strength in depth at his disposal with a comfortable win despite making four changes.
Duran was finally handed his first start in either the Premier League or Champions League after scoring five times as a substitute this season.
McGinn and England international Ezri Konsa returned from injury, while £35 million ($46 million) signing Ian Maatsen came in at left-back.
Bologna could have taken advantage of a sloppy start from Villa as Thijs Dallinga fired a big chance too close to Emi Martinez.
The home side slowly began to take control as Lukasz Skorupski parried Duran’s header from a corner and McGinn’s low follow-up effort.
Morgan Rogers wasted Villa’s best chance to open the scoring before the break in first-half stoppage time when he fired into Skorupski’s legs with just the ‘keeper to beat.
Villa’s strength from set-pieces has been one of the keys to Emery’s transformation of the club from battling relegation to beating off Europe’s finest over the past two years.
McGinn’s enticing delivery did not even need a touch from the cluster of bodies in the box as the Scotland midfielder’s strike found the bottom corner to break the deadlock 10 minutes into the second half.
Nine minutes later Duran made sure of the points with a clinical near post finish from Rogers’ cross.
The combustible striker showed his displeasure at being replaced by Ollie Watkins moments later as Duran punched the bench in frustration.
But that did not take the shine off another memorable night for Villa in their meteoric rise since Emery arrived in Birmingham.
