Aston Villa scored a late goal to defeat Bosnian side Zrinjski Mostar in their second group encounter in the UEFA European Conference League.
John McGinn netted a stoppage time-winner to snatch a late victory at Villa Park with Prince William watching on from the stands alongside Tyrone Mings.
The future king of England witnessed Aston Villa pick up their first victory in a European game since November 2008, when they defeated Slavia Prague by 1-0.
Prince William is an Aston Villa supporter and he has been seen at Villa Park cheering and supporting the club.
Anyway, despite the victory on their home turf, Unai Emery’s side remain at the basement of Group E in the UEFA Europa Conference League.
All the teams in the group have picked up 3 points this term, and they have an identical goal difference of 0.
Aston Villa in the UEFA Europa Conference League
Aston Villa lost 3-2 to Legia Warsaw in their opening game of the group, played at the Marshall Józef Piłsudski’s Municipal Stadium.
Prince William looked dispirited when he was pictured alongside Tyrone Mings and he was also in the company of Emi Buendia, who sat in front of him.
The stoppage time-winner would certainly have lifted his mood, with other Aston Villa supporters visibly displaying their joy over their last-gasp victory.
Unai Emery’s side were dominant in the encounter, as they enjoyed the larger share of the possession (75%) to Zrinjski Mostar (25%).
They also had about 27 shots in total, while their Bosnian opposition had just 3 shots in total.
9 out of those 27 shots by Aston Villa were on target, while only 1 out of Zrinjski Mostar’s shots were on target.
The Villans could have had a penalty in the 55th minute, but following a VAR review of the incident, the referee signaled for the continuation of the action.
However, captain James McGinn rose clutch for Aston Villa in the 4th minute of additional time in the second half.
McGinn powered a header into the bottom left corner off a cross from Matty Cash to pick up a late victory in England.
The Villans return to league action on Sunday, September 8, 2023, facing Wolverhampton Wanderers at the Molineux Stadium.
In the UEFA Europa Conference League, they square up against Dutch club AZ Alkmaar in their 3rd and 4th game of Group E, with the aim of securing passage to the next round of the competition.
Why did Prince William decide to become an Aston Villa supporter?
Before Aston Villa’s 4-0 loss to Arsenal in the FA Cup in May 2015, Tim Sherwood shed light on his reason for supporting the club.
Prince Williams said his decision was fuelled by his desire to be different, as majority of his friends at school were either supporting Chelsea or Manchester United.
The Englishman said that he “wanted to have a team that was more mid-table that could give me more emotional rollercoaster moments.”
The 41-year-old also shared that he had attended a match between Aston Villa and Bolton in 2000 and certain things endeared him to the club.
Speaking on what attracted him to the Villans, Prince William said: “It was the atmosphere, the camaraderie and I really felt that there was something I could connect with.”
