Aston Villa striker Jhon Duran reclaimed a regular spot in the starting line-up after coming off the bench at half-time to score a stunning goal in Aston Villa's 3-2 win over RB Leipzig in the Champions League on Tuesday.
Duran scored his sixth goal of the season from the bench in all competitions – and tenth overall – with a long-range effort that flew over goalkeeper Peter Gulacsi.
The Colombian has scored more goals than any other player in Europe's top five this season after coming off the bench and manager Unai Emery acknowledged it could be difficult to keep him happy if he is not in the XI.
“Of course he is very passionate sometimes and we have to try to keep the balance with him,” he said
But today he played fantastic. He scored one goal and scored a second goal that was offside. He worked and we are trying to make the team strong with a tactical approach.
“His potential is enormous. Tactically he is getting better and better and today he played a fantastic 45 minutes.”
6 – Jhon Durán has scored six goals after coming on as a substitute in all competitions for Aston Villa this season – the most of any player for clubs in Europe's big five leagues in 2024-2025. Super. pic.twitter.com/hPseCcju8A
— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) December 10, 2024
With England international Ollie Watkins Duran in direct competition for a place in the team, the competition is fierce. It's something Duran suggested he really enjoys.
“I'm just happy to be here and I love the competition with Ollie Watkins,” he said. “Hopefully when it's my turn I can go that extra mile and help the team.”
The Colombian turns 21 on Friday, a day before Aston Villa's trip to Nottingham Forest in the Premier League.
“I'm certainly not going out to celebrate my birthday, because my goal is to score on Saturday,” he laughed.
Aston Villa's win in Leipzig moved them into third place in the Champions League ahead of Wednesday night's matches, with two games remaining.
They need just one win over Monaco or Celtic to secure a spot in the top eight and progress straight to the round of 16.
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