Football
Champions League Heartbreak For Aston Villa As Victory Not Enough To Overturn First Leg Deficit Against PSG
James is an experienced writer covering a wide range of sports, including Premier League and European football, Rugby Union, WWE and the NFL. Having studied English & Creative Writing at Plymouth University, James completed a master's degree in Digital & Social Media Marketing before pursuing a career in Journalism. He then graduated from News Associates in Manchester after finishing their NCTJ Postgraduate Diploma in Multimedia Sports Journalism. Since then, James spent time writing for GameRant before ing Reach PLC, where he featured regularly in publications such as the Daily Mirror, Football.LDN, Manchester Evening News and Liverpool Echo, as well as dozens of local titles. Now at SportsCasting, James provides expert analysis and detailed research features, as well as covering breaking news stories.
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Watch Aston Villa Vs PSG highlights as Villa came agonisingly close to completing a remarkable comeback in the Champions League quarter-finals.
Aston Villa trailed 3-1 on aggregate after their first-leg defeat in .
And they looked to be crashing out of the competition with a whimper when they went two goals down early on at Villa Park.
After 11 minutes, Paris Saint-Germain had taken the lead through Achraf Hakimi.
The Moroccan winger profited from a rare error by Villa keeper Emiliano Martinez before Nuno Mendes doubled PSG’s lead within half an hour.
This left Villa needing to score at least four goals to take the game to extra time.
But the home crowd were not deterred and roared their team into life.
Youri Tielemans got the comeback rolling, as Unai Emery’s men refused to give up on what looked like a lost cause.
The Belgian’s deflected effort kept Villa hopes alive before the break, but the second half was pure chaos.
Two goals in as many minutes put Aston Villa ahead on the night and sparked talk of a historic comeback.
First, John McGinn found the net from 20 yards before Ezri Konsa converted from Marcus Rashford’s superb assist.
Villa were in the ascendency and looked certain to level the tie on aggregate.
But three vital interventions from Gianluigi Donnarumma in the PSG goal kept the hosts out.
A fine stop from Rashford’s powerful strike was followed by huge saves to deny Tielemans and Marco Asensio.
Watch: Aston Villa Vs PSG Highlights
Somehow, PSG held on to take the victory over two legs, but Villa gave it absolutely everything and deservedly won on the night.
The Parisian side will now face either Arsenal or Real Madrid in the semi-finals.
Next up for Aston Villa is a return to Premier League action, when they host Manchester City on Saturday.
Both sides are vying for Champions League qualification, so Villa will be desperate to give themselves another chance to enjoy elite European competition again next season.