After 41 long years of waiting, Aston Villa finally returned to the UEFA Battlefield. Just at dawn on Wednesday (18th), they showed their strength with a 3-0 scoreline against the Swiss youngsters. However, the victory was undoubtedly overshadowed when star striker Onychujanes suffered an unfortunate injury in the second half and had to use an ice pack on his right foot.
Looking back at Villa's first ever Champions League (the predecessor to the UEFA Europa League) in the 81/82 season, they were a surprise winner and eventually won the title. Since then, the Villa have continued to compete on an annual basis, but have made a surprise exit in the last 8. 41 years later, as the competition drew to a close, the news of the tragic death of 82's winning player, Galicher, was a hammer blow to the hearts of every Villa fan.
Terry Vince broke the deadlock for Villa in the 27th minute of the match, and Quiggins then scored for Jaeger and Lanslaby with a clever assist. However, in the 60th minute, Quiggins left the field with an injury, his right ankle wrapped tightly in an ice pack. In the end, Amadou Orano sealed the win for Villa, and the 3-0 scoreline made the victory look especially sweet.
After the match, the Amery leader was overwhelmed with emotion, "42 years ago, I followed the path of Villa and earned the support of the Galicombe family in today's match. The game itself may have been simple, but with the experience of last season's European Association, I was fully focused and respectful throughout the 90 minutes."
Faced with Quiggins' injury, the AmeriCorps leader consoled, "Play well, substitutes are no different than any other player, just play well!"
