Gary Shaw will also be in the match
sports desk
Published: 02 October 2024, 12:21
https://www.ajkerpatrika.com/360030
gary
Photo: AFP
Gary Shaw might have gone to Villa Park and tried to keep posterity excited if he had lived. Because the match was against Bayern Munich, he used to shout a little more. At the age of 63, Shaw left the country of no return two weeks ago. But what will not be his presence tonight?

In 1982, Aston Villa won the only Champions League by beating Bayern. The tournament was then called the European Cup. Peter White scored Villa's only goal in the 67th minute of that final in Rotterdam. Shaw was a center forward in that match.

More than four decades have passed since then. After that final, Villa became a forgotten name in the race for European club supremacy. Even after 41 years, the English club has returned to the Champions League. And in the second match of the new tournament, Villa faced Bayern at home.

The only question ahead of that match is a repeat of the Rotterdam final or revenge for Bayern? Villa coach Unai Emery, however, is more worried about his side's performance this season than the German giants. In the pre-match press conference, he said, 'We are not as competitive as last year. We have to improve.'

Villa returned to the Champions League after finishing fourth in the Premier League points table last season. They will face Bayern for the first time since that final in Rotterdam. The new coach of the German giants, Vincent Kompany, knows Villa well because he has played for a long time in English football. His disciple Harry Kane does not know? The English forward was in doubt about returning to his home country after suffering an injury in the match against Bayer Leverkusen in the Bundesliga. However, the former captain of Tottenham completed training yesterday before the Villa test.

On Shaw's death, White said, 'When fellow striker Gary Shaw died, I cried. Today, Villa will also want to remind their heroes of history once again.