In the thriller at "Villa Park" the hosts turned 0:2 into 3:2, but... (video)

Aston Villa vs. PSG: A Dramatic 3-2 Victory, but One Goal Short of Equalizing the Aggregate Score

Aston Villa – PSG 3:2
Goals: Tielemans (34'), McGinn (55'), Konsa (57') – Hakimi (11'), Mendes (27')
Aston Villa: Martínez – Digne (Maatsen, 76'), Torres, Konsa, Cash – Kamara, Onana (Ramsey, 67') – Rogers, Tielemans (Barkley, 88'), McGinn (Asensio, 66') – Rashford (Watkins, 76')
PSG: Donnarumma – Mendes, Marquinhos, Pacho, Hakimi – Ruiz, Vitinha, Neves – Kvaratskhelia, Dembélé, Barcola (Doué, 61')
Caution: McGinn (42')
First Leg: 1:3

The return match between Aston Villa and PSG was equally intense. Paris seemed stronger; the two-goal advantage from the first leg appeared sufficient before the return match in England. Moreover, PSG not only started the second match strongly but also demonstrated composure in capitalizing on opportunities.

Initially, everything seemed disjointed for the Birmingham side. Just before the game began, organizers mistakenly played the Europa League anthem instead of the Champions League anthem throughout the stadium. This was clearly an error by the sound operator. However, the internet quickly circulated memes suggesting this was a deliberate ploy, referencing Emery, the "King of the Europa League," who has won the second-tier European tournament four times.

Players reacted differently—Parisians felt uneasy, while the English smiled, seemingly viewing their coach's favorite tournament anthem as a good omen.

However, Villa's players began the game in a manner that made their fans lose hope for a comeback. Marcus Rashford lost the ball near the opponent's penalty area, and the visitors, with two passes, found Barcola near the opposite penalty area. After his pass to the center, Martínez made a critical error, handing the ball to Hakimi, who delivered a precise shot.

This was a highly unfavorable scenario for Villa, forcing the team to open up again. In the 27th minute, the hosts lost the ball during another attack, and the Parisians, with a few more passes, reached the penalty area and scored the second goal in a 4-on-2 counterattack. Dembélé passed the ball to the unmarked Mendes, who delivered a perfect shot into the corner. After that, the aggregate score favored PSG 5:1.

In such a situation, it was hard to talk about any remaining intrigue. A red card for Hakimi for a foul would have been logical, but the referee forgave the Moroccan player.

Villa began to respond in the first half. The hosts were aided by a deflection—after Tielemans' shot, the ball hit Pacho's chest, changed direction, and went under the crossbar into the net. Nevertheless, PSG went into halftime with a comfortable lead.

In the second half, the Parisians began to falter, and Villa quickly scored another goal. Notably, the second goal also involved Pacho. McGinn, not particularly fast, carried the ball from his own penalty area to the opponent's and delivered a powerful shot—the ball hit the central defender and went under the crossbar—2:2. In this attack, neither PSG's field players nor Donnarumma could stop the offensive.

A few minutes later, Villa came close to scoring a third goal. Rashford's shot from the edge of the penalty area was heading for the top corner, but Donnarumma stopped the ball.

In the next attack, Villa still managed to score the third goal—thus turning a 0:2 score into 3:2. Rashford displayed excellent dribbling in the opponent's penalty area and set up Konsa in a favorable position. The defender delivered a precise shot into the near corner. After three consecutive goals, Villa came very close to equalizing the aggregate score. PSG's players became nervous and allowed many opportunities. Donnarumma also saved a dangerous header from Tielemans. Later, he made a heroic save in a one-on-one situation with Asensio.

PSG had few chances; in one of the rare opportunities, Doué failed to capitalize, and the game remained tense until the final minutes.

In the last seconds, Maatsen's free-kick was extremely dangerous. The ball was heading directly into the goal, but this time, Pacho, standing on the goal line, blocked it. PSG advanced to the semifinals with great difficulty, but the team will need to play better in this stage—the winner of the Arsenal vs. Real Madrid matchup awaits them in the final.
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