As Aston Villa prepare for the second leg of their Champions League quarter-final against Paris Saint-Germain, Unai Emery’s team will be well aware of the challenge they face if they are to advance to the semi-finals.
A dramatic late equaliser from Nuno Mendes in the first leg at Parc des Princes has put the Ligue 1 champions ahead in the tie (3-1), yet there were still positive elements for the English side to build upon before the match at Villa Park on Tuesday evening.
Since taking charge at the start of the 2022/23 season, Emery has lost just one of his 13 home matches in major European competitions, boasting 11 wins and a solitary draw. The only blemish on this impressive record came in May 2024, when his team succumbed to Olympiacos (2-4) in the first leg of the Conference League semi-final.
Villa have remained unbeaten at home in their past 17 fixtures across all competitions (W11 D6), dating back to a League Cup defeat to Crystal Palace in October, while they have claimed victory in eight of their last nine outings overall, with the only setback being the first-leg loss to PSG.
The fact that PSG have won only four of their 17 away matches against English clubs in Europe (D4 L9) undoubtedly played on the minds of the Villa players.
Villa supporters rally behind their team
The atmosphere at Villa Park was electric as fans welcomed their team with open arms, showing unwavering belief in their potential to turn the tie around.
Sadly for both the Villa supporters and the players, the contest seemed to slip away by the 11th minute when Achraf Hakimi scored, extending PSG’s aggregate advantage to 4-1.
This goal also marked a significant milestone for the defender, who became the most prolific defender in Champions League history this season with seven goal involvements (two goals and five assists). The early strike from the Parisians hinted at their dominant record of winning six and drawing only once when taking the lead during the current UCL campaign.
Moments later, Mendes added another, pushing PSG’s tally to 13 goals in this season’s competition, surpassed only by Barcelona and Arsenal, both with 15.
Furthermore, it marked just the third occasion this season where two defenders scored for the same side in a Champions League match, alongside Liverpool’s Ibrahima Konate and Virgil van Dijk, and Real Madrid’s Antonio Rudiger and Lucas Vazquez.
The stunned silence emanating from the Villa supporters following PSG’s second goal articulated the changing dynamics of the match.
Youri Tielemans provided a flicker of hope for the hosts by netting his second UCL goal of the season before the interval, having amassed 22 touches in the opposition’s box in the first 45 minutes, his side’s best performance in that regard throughout this Champions League campaign.
It was evident that Villa remained determined and focused on turning the tide, and after John McGinn equalised shortly after the break, Villa Park erupted with jubilation.
This marked McGinn’s third goal in the Champions League, and he now stands as only the second Scottish player to reach this tally in the competition history.
Aston Villa’s accomplishments warrant pride
Ezri Konsa’s swift follow-up goal just two minutes later brought the Villans within reach of achieving an extraordinary comeback. This goal marked Aston Villa’s seven goals scored within the first 15 minutes of the second half, only trailing behind Real Madrid (nine) and Barcelona (eight) in this season’s Champions League statistics.
Another assist from Marcus Rashford (setting up Konsa) marked his fifth contribution since joining Villa, outpacing all other Premier League players over the same timeframe and indicating his resurgence in form, a promising sign for both England and the club that eventually secures his signature this summer.
Ultimately, PSG managed to hold off the host’s spirited comeback attempt, with Gianluigi Donnarumma making five crucial saves to secure their place in the next round. This defeat marked the first time PSG dropped points after leading at half-time in a Champions League match since March 9, 2022, ending a 10-game undefeated streak in that scenario.
Despite the exit, Villa can hold their heads high, finishing their first campaign in the Champions League with eight wins from 12 matches (D1 L3).
To put into perspective their victory over PSG, the Parisians had not lost a Champions League match after leading by two or more goals since March 2001 — a stunning streak of 56 successive matches until Tuesday’s encounter.
The match statistics revealed a strong performance from Villa, who registered more shots, shots on target, and touches in the opponent’s penalty area (39 to 23), as well as completing 28 successful dribbles compared to PSG’s 21. Moreover, Villa achieved a success rate of 56.3% in their dribbling efforts, outpacing PSG’s 28.6% rate.
However, Villa’s lack of precision in passing — with a mere 76.7% success rate compared to PSG’s 88.2% — and the fact that PSG completed 611 passes, nearly double Villa’s 301, proved decisive, preventing the Premier League side from levelling the contest and allowing PSG to control the tempo of the match.
Compiled by SportArena.com.au.
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