Prince William celebrates wildly as Aston Villa complete stunning comeback victory

Lewis Henderson

By Lewis Henderson


Published: 29/01/2026

- 22:30

Updated: 29/01/2026

- 22:42

The Prince of Wales punched the air as his side won 3-2 after being two goals down

Prince William has erupted in celebration as Aston Villa came from behind in the Europa League to beat Austrian side Red Bull Salzburg.

Following a poor first half, which saw the Prince of Wales side go 1-0 down, Villa then conceded a second, less than five minutes after the restart.


The Villains mounted a tremendous comeback, starting with a piece of interplay that saw England international Morgan Rogers slot home into the bottom-left corner.

Twelve minutes later, William's side levelled matters as skipper Tyrone Mings converted from close range, making amends for an earlier error that led to Salzburg's initial goal.

Prince WilliamWilliam celebrated wildly as his side delivered a stunning comeback win | GETTY

Villa's comeback was complete as youngster Jamaldeen Jimoh-Aloba smashed the winning goal home to mean the Birmingham-based side finished in the top two of the league phase in the Europa League.

The Prince of Wales was seen getting into the action, punching the air as his side scored.

William was sitting next to the owner and director of football for the club in a high vantage point.

Prince George was a notable absence from the game, having previously attended fixtures with his dad.

Prince William

The Prince of Wales was seen getting into the action

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GETTY

The result means Aston Villa finished second in the league phase after their 3-2 victory.

William's side missed out on the top spot on goal difference to French side, Lyon.

The Villains lost only one game throughout the league phase, winning seven of eight.

The Prince of Wales's side is having a season to remember, currently sitting third in the Premier League, only four points off top spot.

Aston Villa

Villa's win means they finish in the top two of the league phase

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GETTY

William did have to endure a horror moment during the game, as his side conceded a shambolic goal.

Villa goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez threw the ball out to Frenchman Lucas Digne, who played the ball back to the side's captain, Tyrone Mings.

The England international then tried to play the ball back to his goalkeeper, stuttering over the pass as the away side snuck in, dispossessing Mings.

Salzburg's Karim Konate then appeared to nearly miss what was virtually an open goal before Villa defender Victor Lindelof kicked the ball into his own net.

Prince William

William did have to endure a horror moment during the game

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GETTY

Aston Villa are heavy favourites to win the competition, having last won a European trophy in 1982, just a few weeks before William was born.

The Prince of Wales's venture out comes after he warned that the "art of debating" is being lost through "quick text messages", which he worries can easily be misinterpreted.

William complained about the modern way of communicating, expressing concern that it is disconnecting people.

He said: "Everyone just wants to send a quick message on social media or a quick text, and it's just fired off, and usually you read it incorrectly or it's got different connotations in it.

"We have lost the art of debating."