Paris Saint-Germain triumphed 3-1 over Aston Villa at the Parc des Princes in the first leg of their UEFA Champions League quarter-final on Wednesday night, marking Villa’s first appearance in this stage of UEFA’s top club competition since 1983.
The home side dominated much of the first half but couldn’t capitalise, and against the run of play, Morgan Rogers gave Villa the lead in the 35th minute. However, PSG responded quickly, with Désiré Doué leveling the score just before the break.
Luis Enrique’s side took the lead five minutes into the second half with a brilliant goal from Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, continuing their dominant performance. PSG looked to extend their lead, and in stoppage time, Nuno Mendes struck a vital third goal for his side, securing a 3-1 advantage to take back to Villa Park for the second leg next Tuesday.
As it happened
The home side started brightly, looking to capitalise on their home advantage, with Vitinha and Ousmane Dembélé causing early problems for the visitors. Both had chances to put Luis Enrique’s side ahead, but Emiliano Martínez stood firm, making two strong saves to keep the score level.
Les Parisiens continued to pile on the pressure, creating chances and keeping Villa on the back foot. In the 21st minute, Vitinha came close to opening the scoring, finding space on the edge of the box before unleashing a powerful strike that flashed just wide of Martínez’s right-hand post.
In a rare spell of possession, Unai Emery’s side managed to push forward through Marcus Rashford, though they were unable to capitalise on the chance. However, in the 35th minute, they broke the deadlock through Morgan Rogers. A perfectly timed pass from John McGinn found Youri Tielemans on the left, who squared the ball across the face of goal for Rogers to slot home, securing his 14th goal of the season and giving Villa a vital lead in the tie.
Four minutes later, PSG were level through Doué. Nuno Mendes picked out the winger on the left, who beat Rogers before curling a stunning 20-yard strike past the outstretched Martínez to level the game. PSG pressed for a lead just before halftime, creating a flurry of chances, but were unable to test Martínez, and the game remained 1-1 going into the break.
The Ligue 1 champions picked up where they left off in the first half and took the lead for the first time in the tie five minutes into the second half. Achraf Hakimi and Fabian Ruiz combined brilliantly to send Kvaratskhelia away down the left-hand side. The winger easily beat Ezri Konsa and substitute Axel Disasi before firing an unstoppable shot at the near post, leaving Martínez helpless.
Ruiz continued PSG’s onslaught as they looked to extend their advantage, playing a brilliant ball to Hakimi. The captain tested Martínez from range, but the goalkeeper’s strong hand kept the scoreline unchanged.
The introduction of PSG loanee Marco Asensio added tempo and purpose to the Birmingham club’s play as they looked to find a way back into the tie, and they nearly did in the 73rd minute. Morgan Rogers was found on the edge of the box and got his shot away, but Gianluigi Donnarumma made a comfortable save to deny Rogers his second goal of the night.
A crucial late goal for les Parisiens extended their lead just before full-time as Nuno Mendes dummied past Ezri Konsa, then calmly slotted his shot past the exposed Emiliano Martínez and into the top corner. It was a late blow for Villa, who now face the challenge of overturning a two-goal deficit when they return to Villa Park next week.
The Lineups
AVL: Martinez; Cash, Konsa, Pau, Digne; Kamara, Tielemans; Rogers, McGinn, Ramsey; Rashford
PSG: Donnarumma; Hakimi, Beraldo, Pacho, Nuno Mendes; Joao Neves, Vitinha, Fabian Ruiz; Doue, Dembele, Kvaratskhelia
