Orjan Nyland gives Aston Villa fans flashbacks with Norway miracles vs Brazil
Aston Villa fans were left stunned after they saw Orjan Nyland star for Norway against Brazil on Sunday.
The 35-year-old is coming off the back of a three year stint as a regular in LaLiga with Sevilla.
He is now a free agent and has been given the chance to put himself in the shop window at the World Cup.
The keeper is certainly a familiar face around B6 after he joined the Villans in 2018 and stuck around for one of the most important periods in the club's recent history.
Nyland departed six years ago now, but is someone that the claret and blue faithful have kept an eye on.
His contribution won't ever be forgotten at Villa Park for right and wrong reasons, so seeing him stun Brazil at the World Cup was crazy.
Why is Orjan Nyland a cult hero at Aston Villa?
It is typically difficult for a goalkeeper to become a fan favourite unless they are great every week.
That can't be said of the Norwegian as his ability with his hands always seemed to play second fiddle to his ball-playing talents.
There was one game in particular that will go down in folklore for Nyland as he was near impossible to beat.
Villa sealed a 2-1 win against Leicester City in the Carabao Cup semi-final to book a place at Wembley as Trezeguet cushioned home a stunning volley.
The Egypt international took the acclaim, but Nyland was the true star of that night.
He made five saves including one that left James Maddison absolutely stunned.
The keeper added to that with 32 touches as he truly helped Dean Smith's side to a League Cup final for the first time in 10 years.
That was all well and good, but later that season he was obviously involved in the goal line technology controversy against Sheffield United.
He will truly be remembered for that exact moment by a wider Premier League audience as it had never happened before and probably won't happen again.
Nyland is clearly working to change that view as his performance against Brazil was something else.
The numbers behind Nyland's Norway performance vs Brazil
Norway faced off against Brazil on Sunday with a place in the quarter-final up for grabs in New York, now against England.
Despite the likes of Vinicius Junior, Neymar and Alisson playing for the Selecao, it was Nyland that made all the difference.
He made a penalty save from Newcastle United's Bruno Guimaraes after 14 minutes and that set him on the right path to a stellar performance.
The keeper made a further three saves and prevented 0.76 expected goals in the process.
The ex-Villa man also made one punch, one high claim, one clearance and three throws to maintain Norway's lead.
His one save to deny an own goal from Kristoffer Ajer was the crowning moment late on as he truly caught the eye of everyone back in B6.
Villa fans may have applauded him then, but on Saturday against the Three Lions, let's hope it's a different Nyland that shows up.