Morgan Rogers hat-trick takes Aston Villa past Celtic and into last 16
Morgan Rogers hat-trick takes Aston Villa past Celtic and into last 16
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Aston Villa made life difficult for themselves but at the final whistle they could finally celebrate advancing automatically to the last 16 of the Champions League. Celtic stunned Villa after recovering from an early two-goal deficit to level but Ollie Watkins registered his first goal in the competition to nudge Villa in front and then missed a penalty to put the game to bed. Judging by the way Watkins celebrated his strike, he is here to stay. A smirking Watkins coolly jogged along the Holte End before clenching his fist and appearing to tap the crest on his chest. Meanwhile Jhon Durán, an unused substitute, seems destined to depart for the Saudi Pro League.
Before kick-off a giant tifo of Ozzy Osbourne, the celebrity Villa fan, filled the face of the Holte End but 15 minutes earlier, at the end of Villa’s warmup, it was Faithless’s Insomnia which blared over the speakers. It felt a fitting choice given the noise surrounding Watkins and Durán, neither of whom can be immune to the outside interest in whisking them away before the close of the January window. Watkins blew kisses towards a hospitality box in the North Stand, giving a glove to a young fan before heading into the dressing room. Durán, typically, was last down the tunnel, high-fiving the supporters arched over the perspex screens in search of autographs.
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