Bayern Head Coach Vincent Kompany hails two Aston Villa stars as Bayern boss admits he tried to sign £15m man

On a historic night for Aston Villa, which hosted a Champions League match for the first time, Bayern Munich coach Vincent Kompany

was gracious in loss. Games on this level are frequently decided by razor-thin margins. For example, a split decision ensured that Jhon

Duran’s latest supersub winner, lobbing Manuel Neuer to write his name into Aston Villa legend alongside 1982 European Cup hero Peter

Withe, did not suffer the same fate as Pau Torres’ VAR-denied first-half effort. For example, Emiliano Martinez made a great stop to deny

Bayern Munich a last-gasp equaliser.

Vincent Kompany’s fantastic start at Bayern may have come to an end at a bouncing Villa Park, but the former Manchester City captain

was far from upset after the match.

Disappointed, perhaps. Disappointed, undoubtedly. But devastated? Definitely not! “They are a strong team, and this is not an easy

place,” Kompany says, preferring to praise Unai Emery’s victorious hosts rather than dwell on the flaws. “It was not a poor performance,

and we had opportunities. “We squandered some excellent opportunities, and they took advantage. They sure did. More than Aston Villa.

But, when Serge Gnabry blasted high and wide, and Martinez made incredible saves to deny Michael Olise and Harry Kane, the eventual

winner came from the most unexpected place.

Duran, who had previously scored against West Ham and Everton, made headlines once more with a stunning first-half finish.

However, while Duran will undoubtedly dominate the back pages, Ollie Watkins and Morgan Rogers also played important roles on the

night.

He may not have tested Neuer in about 70 minutes on the field, but as former Villa captain Gabby Agbonlahor anticipated, Watkins’

quickness and movement caused numerous issues for Bayern’s defense.”I mean, Ollie Watkins has so many qualities to mention,” she

says. “But one of his abilities is to split two centre-backs, take up a position in the middle, drop a shoulder, and then proceed from

there.” Being marked twice does not make him any less dangerous. The aim for us was to keep Villa out of the game and

try to impose our own game. We had a lot of ball, and when we have it, we are dangerous.” Duran, meantime, was not the first Aston Villa

teenager to make a name for himself on Europe’s grandest stage. Morgan Rogers is a player Kompany has known since their time in

Manchester City’s youth. And, revealing that he attempted to sign Rogers for Burnley, probably before the 22-year-old moved to

Middlesbrough, Kompany emphasized the unpredictable nature of top-tier football as a slew of EFL graduates competed in the

Champions League. We attempted to sign a lot of guys at Burnley, you know! There were several Aston Villa players on the field today!”

Kompany, who also coached Ian Maatsen at Turf Moor, adds when questioned about Rogers. “It’s football. We were all in the

Championship playing against each other, and now we’re on the big stage!”

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