Paris Saint-Germain progressed to the Champions League semi-finals on aggregate despite suffering a 3-2 defeat to Aston Villa at Villa Park.
First-half strikes from Achraf Hakimi and Nuno Mendes gave the visitors a commanding lead, extending their aggregate advantage to 5-1 and seemingly putting the tie out of reach. However, Villa responded with goals from Youri Tielemans, John McGinn, and Ezri Konsa to claim a thrilling win on the night and push PSG to the limit.
The home side created several clear chances to overturn the aggregate deficit but were repeatedly denied by the brilliance of Gianluigi Donnarumma in goal. The Italian produced several key saves to ensure PSG held on and reached the final four of the competition.
Villa’s fightback falls short
Villa endured a disastrous opening spell as Marcus Rashford lost the ball in midfield, leading to a swift PSG counterattack. Bradley Barcola’s low delivery was pushed into danger by Emiliano Martinez, and Hakimi smashed it home to open the scoring in the 11th minute.
Pau Torres tested Donnarumma soon after, while Morgan Rogers curled wide after a strong individual run. Mendes then doubled PSG’s advantage with a powerful effort that ricocheted off the post and into the net after 28 minutes.
The hosts responded before the interval when Tielemans’ strike took a deflection off Willian Pacho, wrong-footing Donnarumma and providing Villa with hope heading into the second half.
Dembele briefly thought he had scored early in the second period, but his effort was eventually ruled out for offside. Moments later, McGinn brought Villa level on the night with a long-range strike that left Donnarumma with no chance.
Villa surged forward with belief, and Rashford forced a superb stop from Donnarumma before turning provider for Konsa, who fired Villa’s third to ignite belief of a stunning comeback.
Donnarumma decisive in dramatic contest
Donnarumma was a standout performer as Villa turned up the pressure. He was forced into a diving save to keep out Tielemans’ header and remained alert throughout a frantic second half.
The French side struggled to maintain control after Villa’s third goal, and the game opened up with both teams searching for another breakthrough. Martinez had to be alert to prevent PSG from restoring their lead on the counter.
Villa’s final opportunity came deep into stoppage time when Ian Maatsen let fly from close range, but Pacho’s crucial block on the goal line sealed PSG’s passage to the semi-finals.
Despite the loss, PSG advances to their third semi-final appearance in the past five seasons. Yet their vulnerabilities were on full display, offering hope to future opponents that this team can be challenged.
