Prince William was fist-pumping.
Dibu Martinez was flying.
Villa Park was soaring.
Aston Villa had just beaten Bayern Munich 1-0 in the UEFA Champions League - the same opponents they had beaten to win the European Cup in 1982. Unai Emery's men confirmed they belonged to the big time, and they owed it all to a stunning performance from Emiliano 'Dibu' Martinez.
He capped it off with a stunning save in injury time, of course, but Martinez had been in imperious form all night. He began with his feet - stretching out his left leg to deny Harry Kane's downward header from point-blank range in the sixth minute - a wonderful display of reflexes and co-ordination that his opposite number on the night - Manuel Neuer had mastered (and re-defined) over the last two decades.
He began with his feet - stretching out his left leg to deny Harry Kane's downward header from point-blank range in the sixth minute - a wonderful display of the kind of reflexes and co-ordination that his opposite number on the night Manuel Neuer had mastered (and re-defined) over the last two decades.
In the 39th minute, Michael Olise, allowed to breathe for once in the middle of the park, let fly from range. It was a delicious strike, curling and arcing in all the right ways, destined for the top corner, before up popped Martinez's glove, tipping the ball away at the last moment.
At the other end, Neuer watched on in approval - Martinez was producing the sort of display that Bayern had witnessed from Neuer many times before. However, like the club, his star has dimmed, his legend not as awe-inspiring anymore. Where Neuer charging well out of his goal barely caused a ripple in Bavarian hearts before, the nerves weren't as sure now. And so, it proved.
Jhon Duran, super-sub extraordinaire, took advantage of Neuer's fading star, lobbing the German keeper with a first-time shot without even pausing to control a long ball from Pau Torres. "When Duran received the ball, he was shooting quick," Unai Emery revealed after the game. "In the analysis we were speaking a lot about how the usual positioning of Neuer, [and how it is] always high. I spoke with my assistant coaches, about how to shoot [first time], and he had this in his mind."
Where one goalkeeper's downward spiral has the opposition making plans, there were no such plans for Vincent Kompany and co. in the Bayern dugout. Martinez was pivotal in Argentina winning the World Cup in 2022 and his uptick in form since has only cemented his status as one of the world's best keepers. And as the clock ticked over to four minutes of injury time, the Argentinian proved why.
The Villa defence had no idea of the danger they were facing. Jamal Musiala had the ball in the left inside channel and all of Emery's defensive drills were seemingly working. Serge Gnabry made a darting run from the right and even then, Villa's defence were unaware. Three men on the pitch saw the danger - Musiala, Gnabry and to Bayern's dismay - Martinez. A perfect diagonal followed as Musiala invalidated four Villa defenders with a clever pass behind the lines, and Gnabry timed his run to perfection.
Villa Park held their collective breath. This was it. all Gnabry had to do was tap it into the net, but Martinez had read the move perfectly. There he was, making himself big, a feet away from Gnabry and doing just enough to block his tap-in that was destined for goal. Even a split-second slower and Gnabry would be wheeling away in celebratation - Villa Park silenced with a cruel, late equaliser.
Five minutes ticked over from the allotted four-minute minimum in injury time. Villa were reorganising their defence as Bayern got ready to take a corner. The Germans took it short, and Villa were caught napping. The ball trickled to Joshua Kimmich on the edge of the box and he sent in a peach of a cross. All it needed was a flicked header and Bayern had one of the best proponents of the art.
Up rose Harry Kane. He soared above Pau Torres, perfectly reading the flight of the ball and glancing his header towards goal. Villa Park held its breath again, the ball heading for the net, only for Martinez to stretch out his right arm and deny Kane and Bayern once more. Pandemonium followed as many Birmingham hearts travelled upwards to their mouths, Villa scrambling the ball clear eventually and letting the crowd exhale. Seconds later, the final whistle blew. Villa Park erupted in a noise even their Argentinian keeper had never heard before.
Aston Villa, once European giants themselves, had felled another in a repeat of a famous European scoreline.
Villa Park was soaring. Dibu Martinez was flying. Prince William was fist-pumping.