Aston Villa honored former striker Gary Shaw with a 3-0 victory against Young Boys in their successful debut in the Champions League.
Villa's return to European football's elite competition was marked by the passing of Shaw, a key player in the club's European Cup triumph in 1982.
Manager Unai Emery motivated his team to win for Shaw, and they delivered with goals from Youri Tielemans, Jacob Ramsey, and Amadou Onana.
The win was an impressive start in the new 32-team league format, setting the stage for their upcoming match against Bayern Munich.
Villa's fans, once supporters in the Championship, showed their enthusiasm under Emery's leadership with chants of 'we are top of the league'.
Despite Young Boys' past success, including a victory over Manchester United, they struggled in the match against Villa.
Although Young Boys had moments of pressure early on, Villa took control with two quick goals to establish their dominance.
Tielemans opened the scoring with a skillful finish from a corner, marking a historic moment for Villa in European competition.
Ramsey added a second goal after Watkins capitalized on an error from Young Boys, setting up an easy tap-in for his teammate.
Despite VAR disallowing some of Villa's goals, they continued to press and sealed the win with Onana's strike in the closing minutes.