Paris Saint-Germain took a two-goal lead against Aston Villa in the Champions League quarterfinals, winning 3-1 at Park des Princess.
Villa first attacked Morgan Rodgers in the 35th minute, but the League One champion quickly returned in Desire Dou four minutes later. Khvicha Kvaratskhelia placed the home side four minutes before the second half, while Nuno Mendes set the final score after two minutes to the second half stop time.
team
PSG coach Louis Enrique and Villa Unai Emery each had missing players in the game. Enrique was without a captain of his team as Marquinhos sat it through the suspension, and Villa Winger Leon Bailey, who continued his knock, also stood by.
For the hosts, Genluigi Donnaruma was in the goal, and Lucas Belardo replaced Marquinhos, who along with Willian Pacho, was at the heart of his defense. As always, Nuno Mendes and Achraf Hakimi covered the sides of the defenders. The middle part was made up of regular trioes – Bitinha, Joan Neves and Fabian Lewis. Beforehand, Desire Doue nodded in front of Bradley Barcola, forming an offensive line with Oousmane Dembele and Khvicha Kvaratskhelia.
In the case of the villa, Emiliano Martinez was standing between the posts. There was Ezri Consa and Pau Torres centre-back duo, Lucas Dignet on the left side of the defense and Matty Cash on the right. The Youri Tielemans were paired with Boubacar Camara in the middle of the park, and captain John McGinn helped Wingers Jacob Ramsey and Morgan Rodgers support Marcus Rashford as central attackers.
Short summary
Aston Villa used Morgan Rodgers’ quick counter attack to open the score in the 35th minute, slotting the ball through PSG goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma. This goal came to a series of plays as PSG controlled ownership and created opportunities. になったんです。 English: The first thing you can do is to find the best one to do.
PSG responded quickly, and the 19-year-old Doue went equalising after just four minutes. The young forward unleashed a powerful curling shot from the outside of the box where he found the top corner, leaving Villa goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez with no chance. This goal changed momentum in the host’s favour. になったんです。 English: The first thing you can do is to find the best one to do.
Earlier in the second half, PSG led an individual moment of brilliance from Khvicha Kvaratskhelia. The Georgian winger received the ball near the midline and dribbled past multiple Villa defenders, then settled down from a tight angle to make it 2-1 in the 49th minute. Kvaratskhelia’s goals showed calm under his extraordinary dribbling skills and pressure. になったんです。 English: The first thing you can do is to find the best one to do.
During the match, PSG continued to control ownership and create opportunities for scoring. Villa goalkeeper Martinez made several important saves to compete for his team, but the relentless pressure from PSG’s offense proved to be challenging to endure. になったんです。 English: The first thing you can do is to find the best one to do.
At rest time, PSG extended the lead when Nuno Mendes redeemed himself due to a previous defensive error. The left back surged into the box, skillfully piloting Villa’s defenses, slotting the ball past Martinez to seal a 3-1 victory for the French champions. になったんです。 English: The first thing you can do is to find the best one to do.
As a result, the PSG will be placed in a strong position before the second round of Villa Park. Aston Villa needs to overcome a two-goal deficit to keep Champions League aspirations alive. As it caused a lot of problems for Liverpool in the previous round, the attacking trio of PSG’s Kvaratskhelia, Doue and Dembele demonstrated their efficacy once again, bringing a major challenge to Villa’s defense in future rematches.
Villas need a new right back
The electric performance of Kvaratskhelia has seen Villa scramble for answers, and finds both Matty Cash and Axel Disasi are totally overwhelmed by the unforgiving threats of the Georgians. Cash was chosen early by PSG’s left-hand attack, struggling to contain Kvaratskhelia’s pace and tricks. The yellow card only exacerbated his problems midway through the first half, forcing Unai Emery to a practical halftime change to avoid the risk of booking a second time.
However, Disasi didn’t do that well. Just four minutes after his introduction he was left in the dust by Kvaratskhelia. Kvaratskhelia twisted and turned around before firing PSG to a 2-1 lead with a breathtaking solo effort. The former Napolitan winger appears untouched at night, and his ability to pass the defenders on both right sides of the villa highlighted the bay of the class.
Emery is currently facing a serious choice dilemma before Game 2. Cash discipline remains a concern, while Disaji’s inability to deal with one-on-one was notable. Shifting Ezri Konsa to the right back could provide a more robust option, but it could weaken the Villa’s defense center and cause new issues. Whatever the decision, including Kvaratskhelia, looks like an unpleasant task without any clear revisions.
If the Birmingham Club continues to rise until the 2025/26 season, getting a new man on the right defense should be one of their priorities during the transfer period in the coming summer.
Champions League favorite PSG
The Premier League remains undoubtedly one of Europe’s most powerful divisions, but PSG shows that they added Aston Villa to their list of Aston teams alongside Liverpool in Manchester City in the group stages with Liverpool in 16 rounds.
The team balance created by Luis Enrique is an impressive mix of youth experience and player prime. The football they play is very pleasant, but still, there doesn’t seem to be a lack of tactical discipline. In fact, for example, the front 3 movement must be something you were working on in training.
Three of the quarter of the collisions have seen the team currently put a foot in the semifinals. Not many consider the possibility that Aston Villa could overturn the deficit as realistic. That’s not much for Real Madrid and Borussia Dortmund, who are suffering from comprehensive thrashing at the hands of Arsenal and Barcelona, respectively. Unless something surprising happens in Birmingham, Madrid or Dortmund, only the clash between Inter Milan and Bayern Munich remains open after recording a narrow victory in Germany.
Although any of the remaining teams in the contest could win, along with Barcelona, PSG has undoubtedly shown the biggest football quality of everything since the start of the knockout stage.