John McGinn saluted a “brilliant” climax at Villa Park as his 94th-minute header secured a dramatic 1-0 triumph over HŠK Zrinjski.
The Villa captain admitted it was a mixture of relief and delight as his glancing header nestled into the net deep into added time to clinch three deserved points.
The hosts enjoyed 75 per cent possession and 27 attempts on goal, but had to wait until the last action of the game before securing their first win in the group stages of European competition since 2008.
McGinn’s goal sparked incredible scenes at Villa Park and sent the home faithful into raptures.
Asked how much he enjoyed his last-gasp winner, McGinn told VillaTV: “You could see from the celebration. It was brilliant.
“I’m sure the game wasn’t enjoyable a lot of the time for the Villa fans because it was frustrating, the other team came and made it really difficult for us.
“But just relief and it’s a massive win in the end.
“I certainly made the most of the celebration.”
The hosts had thrown everything at their Group E opponents but were denied time and again as the Premijer Liga champions from Bosnia and Herzegovina looked set to hang on before McGinn’s late winner.
It was a special night under the lights in B6 as Villa Park hosted European football for the first time since 2008/09.
And it was a fitting finale for the Villa fans, who had to be patient before the ecstatic celebrations late on.
“You can’t beat it,” said McGinn, referring to the fantastic scenes at the end of the game.
“These fans have suffered for many, many years now. It’s a club that demands being in European football.
“It’s even more special, I was here when we were in the middle of the Championship and I still celebrated goals like that, Sheffield United at home.
“You just can’t beat it at the Holte End, the ball gets sucked right in.
“And for me to still be part of this journey, it’s incredible.
“Hopefully there’s many more nights like this to come.”
