PSG vs Aston Villa LIVE: Hosts take two-goal cushion into second leg after fine victory in Paris | OneFootball

(Action Images via Reuters)

Aston Villa will need to overturn a two goal deficit in the Champions League quarter-finals after being beaten 3-1 by PSG in the first leg of their tie.

Villa took the lead against the run of play at the Parc des Princes. With PSG on top, John McGinn took control of the ball and kicked off a counter-attack. Morgan Rogers finished off the move with a tap in at the back post and the good vibes ended there for Unai Emery’s men.

Desire Doue was the instigator of PSG’s comeback. He cut in from the left and fizzed a shot into the far top corner before Khvicha Kvaratskhelia sent the hosts ahead in the second half with an equally superb strike.

Villa seemed content to take a loss back to the Midlands but Nuno Mendes made the task incredibly difficult in stoppage time with a dainty and professional finish to sit down Emi Martinez and give the French champions a third goal.

PSG vs Aston Villa LIVE

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Dazzling Desire Doue inspires transformed PSG as Aston Villa taught Champions League lesson

Now it is Unai Emery who needs the Remontada. As he knows from bitter experience, Paris Saint-Germain have lost leads in European second legs before, and bigger ones than this. The verdict may be that Aston Villa’s damage-limitation exercise almost succeeded. Particularly in the four, heady minutes when they led but when a lone goal separated teams divided by a gulf in class.

But then Nuno Mendes provided the coup de grace, the third goal PSG fully deserved. Villa have a colossal task to overturn a deficit next week. Beaten by the youthful brio of Desire Doue and the idiosyncratic virtuosity of Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, any comeback would have to come at the expense of a PSG side staking their claim to be Europe’s finest.

Dazzling Desire Doue inspires transformed PSG as Aston Villa taught lesson

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Richard Jolly at Parc des Princes9 April 2025 22:22

PSG manager Luis Enrique on TNT Sports:

"They scored that goal that felt a little difficult to accept but we just had to win that match and to score in the last minute was great for us and our confidence. We have to think about the second leg and it's going to be difficult for sure.

"It's important to believe in ourselves and the three goals were great, a lot of quality. We're very happy with the result. It will be difficult [at Villa Park] but we will try to play the same way - it's our DNA."

Mike Jones9 April 2025 22:45