Three things we learned as swashbuckling PSG beat Aston Villa | OneFootball

After being crowned Ligue 1 champions over the weekend, Paris Saint-Germain turned their attention once more to the Champions League as they hosted Aston Villa for the first leg of their quarter-final clash at the Parc des Princes.

There were no surprises as the two teams set out their stalls from the opening whistle, the hosts would control possession while their guests would sit deep and limit access into the box with Boubacar Kamara dropping back from midfield to create a back five.

Villa’s plan looked to work when Morgan Rogers opened the scoring from a quick transition. However, PSG were not to be cowed, and goals from Désiré Doué, Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, and Nuno Mendes provided them with the advantage (3-1) ahead of next week’s decider in Birmingham.

A soft underbelly still exists for PSG

It was hard not to think of PSG’s meeting with Liverpool at the Parc des Princes as Villa rushed to a short-lived lead in the 35th minute. Liverpool had sat back for the 90 minutes and then hit them on the break to steal a victory.

Similarly, Villa had offered very little before John McGinn took advantage of a mistake from Nuno Mendes to kickstart a quick transition. The visitors sliced forward with rapid passes as Youri Tielemans found Morgan Rogers at the far post for the tap-in.

Despite how impressive PSG are with the ball (and at keeping the ball to prevent these situations), there is still this sense that they have a soft underbelly that can be hit on the counter. The club find itself in an amazing situation, but they are not yet an impervious force in Europe.

Désiré Doué takes his crown at the Parc des Princes

If you are only just learning that Désiré Doué is an exceptional talent, you’ve likely not been paying much attention to PSG this season (or Stade Rennais the year before). There is nothing new to learn in that fact. However, we might have just seen his coronation, the moment where he became the new prince of the Parc des Princes.

Doué taunted and teased Villa throughout the first half, the white shirts found his feet too quick as he darted away from challenges with a litany of tricks. And with PSG chasing the game, it was the teenager that took the responsibility on his shoulders and fired PSG level to prevent this game from slipping away.

His goal was mesmerising. He drifted in from a wide position and let fire from outside the box. The shot curled beautifully and kissed the crossbar before finding the back of the net, leaving Emiliano Martínez helpless to stop the effort and the stadium from erupting in pure jubilation.

Third time lucky as Emiliano Martínez stumbles

Martínez had been clear from the build-up to the match that he was willing to take the heat away from his team by embracing his status as France’s public enemy number one. A status he earned after he eliminated France in the 2022 World Cup final and Lille OSC from last year’s Europa League quarter-finals.

The Argentine arrived in the country wearing a cap commemorating the 2022 World Cup victory and with his country’s shirt colours dyed into his hair. It was clear he expected and wanted a fierce response, and the stadium did not disappoint. The goalkeeper’s every involvement was met with a wave of boos. It’s the kind of atmosphere Martínez lives for and usually leaves unscathed.

However, the moment that will be remembered will be Nuno Mendes dragging Martínez off his line late into the game, feinting twice to leave him stumbling to the ground and then hitting the back of the net to make it three goals and a two-goal advantage ahead of the second leg.

GFFN | Nick Hartland