For a little over half an hour, Aston Villa could look down on the rest of Europe. They had scaled the Champions League summit on goal difference when Henrik Heggheim put through his own net and the fact was not lost on the Holte End, who reflected their position in song and perhaps allowed themselves another glimpse back to the days when their supremacy was undisputed. “We’ve conquered before, we’re prepared for more,” the pre-match tifo display had read.
Perhaps Villa really will rekindle the spirit of 1982 but the frustration here, albeit minor in the wider scheme, was that they could not maintain their bird’s-eye view over the continent. A superbly taken volley by Peter Christiansen, awarded by the video assistant referee after initially being disallowed for offside, gave Viking a consolation their second-half display deserved and meant Unai Emery’s side must make do with slumming it just behind Paris Saint-Germain.
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