logo
PSG end Aston Villa's European run after epic fightback falls just short

PSG end Aston Villa's European run after epic fightback falls just short

The Guardian15-04-2025

Unai Emery will always shudder at mention of La Remontada. It came to define his time as the manager of Paris Saint-Germain, the inexplicable Champions League defeat to Luis Enrique's Barcelona in 2017 after his team had held a 4-0 first-leg lead. Barcelona would end up needing three goals with 88 minutes of the second leg gone at the Camp Nou. They got them for a 6-5 aggregate victory.
On an epic night at Villa Park, the roles were reversed – and so nearly to cathartic effect for Emery. His Villa team were magnificent. They refused to believe that this showpiece Champions League quarter-final was over after Luis Enrique's PSG surged into a 2-0 lead on the night for a 5-1 aggregate advantage, the goals coming from their flying full-backs, Achraf Hakimi and Nuno Mendes.
Villa needed four to force extra time. No away goals any more, of course. And when Youri Tieleman got the first on 34 minutes, it was just the start.
It was a second half that will live long in the memory of everybody present, Villa's showing cut and thrust to go with their conviction, John McGinn and Ezri Konsa on the scoresheet before the 60 minute mark. They were far from isolated thrusts. PSG have been painted as the best team in Europe in recent months. They were shadows in the second half, Villa producing a performance for the ages.
They had the chances to equalise, golden ones. What a story it would have been if Marco Asensio, on as a substitute to face his parent club, had not been denied by Gianluigi Donnaumma in a one-on-one. Or Konsa had not blown a header from a whipped free-kick from the outstanding Marcus Rashford. At the very end, another substitute Ian Maatsen saw a goalbound shot blocked by Willian Pacho. It looked as though Donnarumma was beaten. PSG celebrated that like a goal of their own. They had survived. Just.
Emery's one change from the first leg had hinted at pragmatism – Amadou Onana in, Jacob Ramsey out – but it was optimism that ran riot in the home crowd at kick-off time, Prince William among the believers in the stands. Hi Ho Aston Villa was an assault on the eardrums, although it was incongruous to hear the music selector play the Europa League theme tune over the PA system. The atmosphere pulsed, the PSG fans more than playing their part.
Hakimi helped to settle PSG because Villa did bring the storm at the outset, Morgan Rogers catching the eye with a couple of swashbuckling runs. Villa pushed through Marcus Rashford but when he was dispossessed by Marquinhos, PSG moved the ball from their right to the left and then up to Bradley Barcola with clinical precision.
It was certainly a show of strength from Luis Enrique when he started Barcola ahead of Désiré Doué, one of the stars of the first leg. But as everybody knows, Barcola has tremendous quality and speed. His low cross was behind Pau Torres, who moved towards the ball and then left it for Emiliano Martínez, who had to have seen the ball late and could only push out towards Hakimi. It was on a plate for him.
PSG's second also spoke to Luis Enrique's spirit of adventure because once again it was a full-back applying the final brushstrokes to a counterattacking masterpiece. PSG won the ball inside their own area and it was a blur of blue as they moved decisively upfield, Hakimi was prominent before Ousmane Dembélé went square to Mendes. The finish was lovely; a dart away from Matty Cash and a curler that kissed the post on its way in.
Villa had flickered at 1-0. Torres blasted too close to Gianluigi Donnarumma while Rogers took a pass from Tielemans and curled just wide. They deserved the Tielemans goal which was teed up by a reverse pass by McGinn after an excellent move involving Rashford. Tielemans's shot flicked home off Willian Pacho.
It was feisty and there was uproar when McGinn went down in the area after a shoulder-to-shoulder challenge from Hakimi on 36 minutes. Hard but fair, said the referee José Maria Sánchez. No penalty. Hakimi kicked up and out at McGinn as the pair tangled on the ground and he was very lucky not to make any contact.
Sign up to Football Daily
Kick off your evenings with the Guardian's take on the world of football
after newsletter promotion
PSG might have had another before the interval only for Fabián Ruiz to scuff his shot slightly when well placed.
Emery's transformation of Villa has been remarkable, very much of a piece with the magic he has sprinkled at his previous clubs, especially in Europe.
This was the 14th season in 17 that he had competed in the knockout rounds of one Uefa competition or another.
He needed the mother and father of all comebacks as the second half started and yet there was no diluting Villa's belief. They continued to bring the intensity, to play their football. The crowd stayed with them, how they stayed with them and by the hour mark, Villa were back in it. PSG squinted into the whirlwind.
Rashford exploded to life. He had extended Donnarumma in the 51st minute as PSG panicked at the back and his cut-back for Konsa's low shot for 3-2 on the night followed a nutmeg on Ruiz and a swerve away from Vitinha. Moments earlier, he had extended Donnarumma after a burst inside.
That had followed McGinn lighting the touchpaper with a run and shot from distance that looped over Donnarumma. Straight after the Konsa goal, Tielemans almost scored with a header, Donnarumma clawing over. Then Torres could not react in time to direct a header of his own. It was bedlam inside the stadium.

Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

England ‘a work in progress' and have a lot of improving to do
England ‘a work in progress' and have a lot of improving to do

Powys County Times

time31 minutes ago

  • Powys County Times

England ‘a work in progress' and have a lot of improving to do

Conor Gallagher accepts there is 'a lot of improvement' to make following a disappointing international break which saw England slip to a first defeat under Thomas Tuchel. England laboured to an unimpressive 1-0 victory over Andorra, a side ranked 173rd in the world, before slipping to their first defeat to African opposition three days later. Despite Harry Kane's early goal, the warning signs were there as Dean Henderson made five saves in the first period, but after Crystal Palace's Ismaila Sarr drew the visitors level, Habib Diarra and Cheikh Sabaly struck in the second half as boos rang around the City Ground. Gallagher, who was substituted in the second half, revealed Tuchel was calm in the dressing room after the game and is frustrated the next international window is three months away. The Atletico Madrid midfielder said: 'It was a really tough game, but we're still building. There's a lot to improve and there's a lot to work on and, as a team, we'll do that. 'I'm sure the manager and the coaching staff will look back at the game and see where we can be better because there is a lot of improvement to be made, but we're moving forward. 'He's calm. He's obviously disappointed and not happy, but he's calm with us. He knows we could be a lot better. 'It's a shame because we're away from each other for a few months now, whereas he would like to kind of fix the problem straight away, but he can't because that's how it is in international football. 'It's a work in progress and all the lads and the staff and the manager are all confident and happy with the progression. 'We have a lot to build on and improve and that's what we're going to try to do.' England were accused of not showing the right attitude in their narrow win over minnows Andorra. Asked whether they had shown the right application against Senegal, Gallagher replied: 'Yeah, definitely. I think we really wanted to win and I feel like we worked hard. 'I don't think we were great, if I'm being honest. But like I keep saying, it's a kind of work in progress and we need to improve moving forward and we're all happy to be doing that.' Gallagher's focus will now switch to the Club World Cup as he prepares to join up with his Atletico team-mates in the United States ahead of their first game against Champions League winners Paris St Germain at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena. He said: 'It's really exciting and I'm really looking forward to it. It's going to be a great tournament. I think it will be really exciting when all the teams are actually there and the tournament starts. 'You want to always play against the best players and the midfielders. Obviously (PSG) had an unbelievable season, so you want to be playing against these guys. We know how hard it will be, but it's good for us and it's exciting.'

England ‘a work in progress' and have a lot of improving to do
England ‘a work in progress' and have a lot of improving to do

Glasgow Times

time31 minutes ago

  • Glasgow Times

England ‘a work in progress' and have a lot of improving to do

England laboured to an unimpressive 1-0 victory over Andorra, a side ranked 173rd in the world, before slipping to their first defeat to African opposition three days later. Despite Harry Kane's early goal, the warning signs were there as Dean Henderson made five saves in the first period, but after Crystal Palace's Ismaila Sarr drew the visitors level, Habib Diarra and Cheikh Sabaly struck in the second half as boos rang around the City Ground. Gallagher, who was substituted in the second half, revealed Tuchel was calm in the dressing room after the game and is frustrated the next international window is three months away. England went 1-0 up before slipping to defeat at the City Ground (Mike Egerton/PA) The Atletico Madrid midfielder said: 'It was a really tough game, but we're still building. There's a lot to improve and there's a lot to work on and, as a team, we'll do that. 'I'm sure the manager and the coaching staff will look back at the game and see where we can be better because there is a lot of improvement to be made, but we're moving forward. 'He's calm. He's obviously disappointed and not happy, but he's calm with us. He knows we could be a lot better. 'It's a shame because we're away from each other for a few months now, whereas he would like to kind of fix the problem straight away, but he can't because that's how it is in international football. 'It's a work in progress and all the lads and the staff and the manager are all confident and happy with the progression. 'We have a lot to build on and improve and that's what we're going to try to do.' England were accused of not showing the right attitude in their narrow win over minnows Andorra. Asked whether they had shown the right application against Senegal, Gallagher replied: 'Yeah, definitely. I think we really wanted to win and I feel like we worked hard. 'I don't think we were great, if I'm being honest. But like I keep saying, it's a kind of work in progress and we need to improve moving forward and we're all happy to be doing that.' Gallagher was substituted in the second half (Mike Egerton/PA) Gallagher's focus will now switch to the Club World Cup as he prepares to join up with his Atletico team-mates in the United States ahead of their first game against Champions League winners Paris St Germain at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena. He said: 'It's really exciting and I'm really looking forward to it. It's going to be a great tournament. I think it will be really exciting when all the teams are actually there and the tournament starts. 'You want to always play against the best players and the midfielders. Obviously (PSG) had an unbelievable season, so you want to be playing against these guys. We know how hard it will be, but it's good for us and it's exciting.'

NBA star expected to make offer to buy stake in Crystal Palace as part of consortium - with bid set to be more than £147m amid Eagles' European crisis
NBA star expected to make offer to buy stake in Crystal Palace as part of consortium - with bid set to be more than £147m amid Eagles' European crisis

Daily Mail​

time42 minutes ago

  • Daily Mail​

NBA star expected to make offer to buy stake in Crystal Palace as part of consortium - with bid set to be more than £147m amid Eagles' European crisis

A consortium including NBA star Jimmy Butler 'is set to make an offer of more than £143million' to buy a stake in Crystal Palace. Palace, who are waiting to find out if they will be booted out of next season's Europa League for contravening multi-club ownership rules, could sell 43 percent of the club owned by John Textor's Eagle Football Holdings if they accept the offer. That could then allow Palace to compete in the Europa League but it remains to be see if any agreement can be struck quickly enough. Mail Sport's Mike Keegan earlier reported that Textor is willing to sell his stake in Crystal Palace for £175m – and put an end the club's European crisis. Whether the consortium is willing to meet his valuation or Textor settle for a reduced amount is not yet known. According to the Athletic, Butler and Co are let by ex-Morgan Stanley exec Bejan Esmaili and former Roc Nation lawyer Wajid Mir. The bulk of the finances would come from an American group with experience investing in football, says the report. Butler would be the highest-profile member of the consortium and join the likes of Tom Brady (Birmingham) and JJ Watt (Burnley) in investing in UK clubs. He is a six-time NBA all-star who has been with the Golden State Warriors since February. Palace co-owner John Textor is currently looking to sell his shares quickly in order for the Eagles to compete in next season's Europa League having qualified by winning the FA Cup. But because Textor also owns Lyon, another club in the competition, UEFA bosses are currently deciding whether they will be allowed to compete. Sale of his portion of the club could offer a swift resolution but time is against Palace and they are expected to hear back from UEFA by June 30. Earlier on Wednesday, Mike Keegan reported that the figure, for Textor's Eagle Football Holdings' 43 per cent share, is understood to value Palace at significantly less than the amount Textor himself offered to buy out his three fellow directors earlier this year, according to sources with knowledge of the situation. To exacerbate the situation, David Blitzer's (another Palace stakeholder) Brondby would then take the Europa Conference spot for the same reason as he also failed to spot the potential issues. Nottingham Forest would be elevated from the Conference League to the Europa League while Palace's rivals Brighton would take a slot in the Conference League. Palace have until June 24 to present their final case to UEFA officials, who are then expected to take around a week before reaching a verdict. Should they not be satisfied with the ruling, Palace could appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport, as could the other clubs involved in what is a complex situation. Such a scenario is not unlikely given what is at stake.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into the world of global news and events? Download our app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store