Aston Villa win receives royal seal of approval
Prince William gave Villa’s victory over Zrinjski Mostar the royal seal of approval after John McGinn headed a dramatic stoppage time winner.
McGinn netted in the fourth added minute to earn Villa a previous 1-0 win and get their Europa Conference League campaign belatedly up and running.
The Prince of Wales, watching from the stands alongside injured Villa star Tyrone Mings, later expressed his delight when asked for a reaction by the media outside the ground.
He said: “I’m very happy. 1-0 is good.”
Villa boss Unai Emery later confirmed William had visited the dressing room both before and after the match.
"It’s the third time I met him,” said Emery. “He is welcome as he is supporting us, feeling emotion with us. He met with the players and me and we were speaking about Aston Villa and his wishes for us to do something this year."
Villa’s chances of progressing the Conference League were significantly boosted by McGinn’s goal. After losing their opening Group E match 3-2 at Legia Warsaw last month, Emery’s men looked destined for a frustrating 0-0 draw before the Scot broke plucky Mostar’s hearts at the death.
Emery, who made six changes to his starting line-up, said: "We have to respect every team in Europe. For them, it's very important to play against us.
“Their commitment in 90 minutes was amazing. The first half we didn't control the transition and we didn't get good chances to score. We added players with experiences.
“I knew before the match it would be difficult because they were going to be excited playing their game plan. Tactically I did some changes. Hopefully we can build a team with everybody."
