David Hytner was at Villa Park this evening. Here’s his report. Thanks for reading this MBM.
PSG boss Luis Enrique speaks to Amazon. “You cannot forget that Villa have a lot of quality … intensity … the match was almost dead … we started the game in a great way … take advantage of spaces … the whole two matches we deserved to win … I think I have the best squad in the world … Villa did not have anything to lose … the atmosphere was great.”
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Unai Emery talks to Amazon Prime. “Good evening … I am very proud of everythig we did … to get to this level is the next step forward … the first leg we competed well but it was not enough … the second leg we were better and we were close to coming back… I want to work hard for our next process for Aston Villa … the crowd was fantastic … the energy … there is still a little bit more to do … PSG were clinical … they have good fast players in the transition … today we were pushing more … now the most important thing is to get Europe again … the last six matches … try to get Champions League … if not, Europa or Conference.”
PSG captain Marquinhos speaks to Amazon Prime. “We knew it was going to be difficult … the tie is never won in the first leg … they scored those goals in the second half … we kept our intensity … the game was always going to be difficult … we knew we had to play our game … pressure … intensity … it wasn’t easy at times but we did what we needed to do and we are through to the next round … it’s such a difficult competition but we’re getting better and better … it’s going to be such a difficult semi-final whether it’s Arsenal or Real Madrid … but there’s belief we can go all the way.”
Post-match postbag. “I didn’t think they’d recover this tie but I also never thought they’d get this close. Heroic failure” – Phil Haran
“Six subs in the second half. Three minutes of extra time. If I were a Villa fan I’d be a little annoyed that the ref decided to add zero extra time at the end” – Michael Jenkins
“For a young team, PSG were doing a lot of ‘showing their experience’ at the end there. Should acknowledge that the ref fell for quite a lot of it too, mind you. But ultimately, Villa lost their composure: last 20 minutes or so it was all ‘just whack it forwards’. They’d scored three goals by passing it to each other, maybe just trust that maybe that will work one more time? Ultimately no disgrace, PSG were the better team (sometimes by far) for about 120 minutes of a 180-minute tie and so definitely deserve the victory. But what could have been, eh?” – Trevor Bond
“I’ll have the chants of the PSG away fans ringing in my ears all night, and I suspect so will most of the people who were in the stadium. What thunderous racket! What tremendous noise!” – Kári Tulinius
Ezri Konsa speaks to Amazon Prime. “Very proud of the boys … the two goals at the start killed us … we showed great heart to get back into the game … unfortunately it wasn’t enough … at half time we had nothing to lose … we wanted to prove a point … we dug deep … we had chances .. I think I scored the hardest one! … it is what it is … we thought we would get another one … I don’t think we could have done anything more … I missed the ball [for the later chance] … that happens in football … we showed tonight we can compete at the highest level and we want to do it again next season.”
♫ Hi-ho Aston Villa! ♪♬ All four sides of Villa Park celebrate. Mostly in the bittersweet fashion, of course, but the home fans give their brave team the love they deserve. Had they been on the end of a thumping tonight – and for a while during the first half that looked on the cards – it would have been the mother and father of all anti-climaxes. But they came so close to completing one of the great European comebacks with a second-half performance for the ages. A quick two-goal blast inspired by John McGinn, Marcus Rashford and Ezri Konsa. Gianluigi Donnarumma had some big saves to make. Konsa missed a glorious chance to level the aggregate score, and Ian Maatsen came close to forcing extra time with a precision volley at the end. But PSG were the better team in the three other halves of this two-legged tie, and deserve to progress. They could be Arsenal’s problem now. Or perhaps another puzzle for the reigning champions Real Madrid to solve. Either way, they’ll take some stopping.
FULL TIME: Aston Villa 3-2 Paris Saint-Germain (agg 4-5)
Villa are out. But what a second-half performance against the best team in Europe right now. They can hold their heads high.
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90 min +3: Cash advances down the right. He pulls back a cross for Maatsen, who from the left-hand corner of the D, meets it sweetly. So sweetly. A curling volley that’s headed for the bottom right. It’s in all the way … but Pacho gets in the road to block brilliantly. What drama!
90 min +2: PSG hoick long. Goal kick. One last Hail Mary.
90 min +1: Martinez launches long, forcing Hakimi to head out for a throw. That’s flung into the mixer, but easily cleared by PSG, who then draw a cheap foul, and the clock ticks on.
90 min: Dembele eventually takes it, and PSG play keep-ball in the corner. On the touchline, Unai Emery’s temper reaches def con one. The visitors are managing the clock professionally, and there will only be three additional minutes.
89 min: PSG are getting a lot of joy down the right flank now. Doué tears free and enters the box, only to be denied by Martinez. The corner’s tugged back to Kvaratskhelia, whose shot is better this time, and deflected over for another corner. Dembele does not rush over to take it.
88 min: Villa’s last fling of the dice as Barkley comes on for Tielemans.
87 min: Hakimi romps down the right. The ball’s switched to the left for Kvaratskhelia, who tries to dance his way into a shooting position, but can’t get past the obdurate Cash. Fine last-ditch defending.
85 min: Donnarumma takes his sweet time over a goal kick. Europe’s most in-form team reduced to this. Villa have been marvellous in this second half.
84 min: Hakimi races down the right and nips past Maatsen, before aiming for the bottom right. The keeper turns round the post for a corner, which is eventually worked back to Kvaratskhelia, who slices rashly towards the top-right corner of the Holte End.
82 min: Doué tries to advance down the inside right. Tielemans hangs out a leg and the PSG player doesn’t need a second invitation. Free kick, just to the right of the D. Anxiety levels around Villa Park now through the roof. But Nuno Mendes blooters straight into the wall. Immediate panic over, though anxiety levels around Villa Park remain through the roof.
81 min: The PSG fans continue to make their presence felt. With the clock against them, Villa’s supporters are now understandably pensive. “As an Aston Villa fan I just want to say that whatever happens this evening, we can be proud of ourselves,” writes Dylan Kenny. “PSG are clearly the best side in Europe right now and would be worthy winners of the Champions League. But we’ve properly taken them on tonight. That’s all you can ask as a fan.”
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79 min: Now it’s Rogers’ turn to aim for the top-left corner, cutting in from the right before turning one loose. High. Wide.
78 min: Dembele is sprung into space down the right. He’s got Doué free in the middle, but chooses to curl towards the top left instead. Wide. High. He doesn’t try to catch Doué’s eye. Meanwhile here’s Espen B: “Is it too late for Villa to bring Divock Origi on?”
77 min: Dembele has a whack from a tight angle on the left. Martinez refuses to be beaten at his near post. He turns the ball out for a corner, from which nothing comes.
76 min: Villa switch out Rashford and Digne with Watkins and Maatsen.
75 min: PSG take a little sting out of the game with some sterile midfield play. It doesn’t calm the crowd down, mind.
73 min: Kvaratskhelia still hasn’t contributed much. Doué has hardly featured since his introduction. Logically this is all good news for Villa. The more anxious may consider it an uncomfortably ominous state of affairs.
71 min: Asensio strides into the PSG box down the inside right. He couldn’t, could he? Not this time. He sidefoots straight at Donnarumma. Then a Villa free kick out on the right. Rashford teases it in. Konsa should score, six yards out, but doesn’t connect with his header, which flashes weakly wide left. This is gloriously daft.
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69 min: To the great credit of the PSG fans, they’re still giving it everything, despite the current direction of travel. “McGinn’s splendid solo effort has injected confidence into the whole Villa team, most notably Rashford who is beginning to look like his old self,” quips Colum Fordham. “McGinnspiration! Who knows what might happen from here but there’s magic in the air at Villa Park.”
67 min: McGinn, his work here done, is replaced by Marco Asensio, a headline in the making given he’s on loan from PSG. Onana meanwhile makes way for Jacob Ramsey.
65 min: Villa Park is in Bedlam Mode, by the way. Like you need telling that. But one more PSG goal would surely burst the bubble, and Dembele tries to provide it by lashing a low drive goalwards from a tight angle on the right. Martinez gets down to handle convincingly.
63 min: Rashford hassles Vitinha in the middle of the park. The dynamic suddenly so different. Vitinha was the boss of the first half, with Rashford invisible. But now look! What an assist Rashford provided for Konsa’s goal, and now he’s really up for this.
62 min: PSG, their heads swimming, respond by replacing Barcola with Doué.
60 min: The corner’s pulled back. Tielemans shoots, a bouncing bomb into the box. Torres heads over. Very similar vibes to the early second-half one-two Liverpool performed on Barcelona in their 2019 semi-final 4-0 comeback. Similar timings to Georginio Wijnaldum’s double-whammy that evening as well.
59 min: This is absurd. Borderline psychedelic. Tielemans guides a looping header towards the top left. Donnarumma claws it out. It was heading in. McGinn tries to force the rebound home from a tight angle. It’s deflected out for a corner.
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GOAL! Aston Villa 3-2 PSG (Konsa 58); agg 4-5
Rashford jinks in from the right. He reaches the byline, by the corner of the six-yard box, and pulls back for Konsa, rushing in. Konsa opens his body and slots into the bottom right! It’s on! It really is on!
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57 min: Rashford, who has done very little so far this evening, drifts in from the left and launches a rising shot towards the top-right corner. Donnarumma extends and tips around the corner. And from that …
GOAL! Aston Villa 2-2 PSG (McGinn 55); agg 3-5
McGinn is allowed to run down the inside-left channel. And run. And run. He takes a whack at goal from 30 yards. A pearler rises and dips into the top-right corner, Donnarumma wrong-footed for the second time this evening. A slight nick, you see. They couldn’t, could they?!
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53 min: Tielemans bustles into the PSG box but loses control. Neither Marquinhos nor Hakimi know where the ball is. It falls to Rashford, who can’t force past the spreading Donnarumma. PSG go up the pitch, and Dembele is sent clear from the halfway line. He’s clearly offside, the only outfield player in the Villa half, but is allowed to run all the way before delicately dinking over Martinez. Lovely finish, but it’s obviously going to be ruled out. And it is.
51 min: A bit of space for Cash down the right. He’s got a couple of pals in the middle, but hesitates to cross, defenders swarm, and the opportunity goes by.
49 min: Digne crosses from the left. McGinn flicks a header over the bar. Well off-target.
48 min: Other than that, a fairly quiet start to the half, even if Villa are buzzing around in the hope of forcing an early mistake.
46 min: McGinn chases after a long ball down the middle. Marquinhos stands his ground. The defender catches McGinn in the face with an accidental arm. McGinn goes down. He’s not happy. He claims to have been deliberately elbowed. The referee’s having none of it, but McGinn has been on a rolling boil ever since that tangle with Hakimi. Tony Hughes, of half-time postbag fame, could be onto something.
PSG get the second half started. No changes.
Half-time postbag. “Many years ago Jonathan Wilson made the point that in the post-sweeper era, the national side with the best fullbacks generally won the the World Cup. I know that this was a point about the international game, but no club has a better pair of fullbacks than Nuno Mendes and Achraf Hakimi, which bodes well for PSG” – Kári Tulinius
“Not exactly Nostradamus-level, but I reckon the second half has at least a red card in it somewhere” – Tony Hughes
“Even though it’s still a tall task, I was thrilled to see Villa get on back. Then they showed Prince William celebrating. Come on PSG, put in another five!” – Rob Coughlin
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HALF TIME: Aston Villa 1-2 Paris Saint-Germain (agg 2-5)
PSG’s flying full-backs look to have done for Aston Villa’s hopes of reaching the semis. Youri Tielemans has restored at least a smidgen of hope.
45 min: Dembele goes racing clear down the left. One pass. This is too simple. He enters the box but flays a wild shot over the bar. Then the flag goes up for offside. Had he scored, I think VAR would have got involved, Konsa playing him on.
44 min: Hakimi creams a long free kick down the middle. Dembele is free! Fortunately for Villa, Konsa battles back and gets in the road, Dembele slips, and the flag finally goes up for offside.
42 min: McGinn thinks he’s going into a 50-50 with Kvaratskhelia. In reality it’s more like a 20-80. The Villa captain is way late, clatters his man, and goes into the book. A high possibility he’s not yet calmed down from the tangle with Hakimi.
41 min: Tielemans pops a pass down the inside-right channel for Torres, who from the corner of the six-yard box opts to cross rather than shoot. Wrong decision.
40 min: Vitinha, Dembele and Nuno Mendes nearly open Villa up again down the left. Then Fabián Ruiz one-twos with Kvaratskhelia in the middle but the resulting shot is weak and straight at Martinez. PSG seemingly not that concerned by the Villa goal.
38 min: Turns out Tielemans has been credited with the Villa goal. Everyone involved will be happy with that decision.
36 min: McGinn and Hakimi battle for a ball bouncing down the inside-left channel. The former leans into the latter, and the pair fall into the penalty box. McGinn wants a penalty but he’s not getting one. He holds Hakimi down, and nearly gets a boot in the face for his trouble. Had that connected, the referee would have had a decision to make. But we play on.
GOAL! Aston Villa 1-2 PSG (Pacho og 34); agg 2-5
Villa swarm PSG and attack again. McGinn lifts a pass down the inside-left channel. Tielemans opens his body and aims a curler towards the top-right corner. It deflects off Pacho and into the top-left past a flat-footed Donnarumma. A glimmer of hope!
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33 min: Kamara breaks up a PSG pass-fest with an extended leg and sends Rashford and Tielemans away on a counter. The former sets up the latter, who enters the PSG box down the inside-left channel before going over. He wants a penalty, claiming to have been shoved in the back by Pacho, but he’s not getting one. But it doesn’t matter, because …
31 min: Vitinha one-twos with Dembele to break into space down the middle of the park. He switches play to Barcola on the left. Barcola nearly hipshakes his way into the area, but there’s one defender too many to beat. PSG are completely, totally, utterly on top.
29 min: Villa are being ruthlessly dispatched here. There’s no shame in it. This PSG team are magnificent, and the way they’re playing, will take some stopping in this competition. They look like champions in waiting.
GOAL! Aston Villa 0-2 PSG (Nuno Mendes 27); agg 1-5
Another PSG counter. Dembele is sent scampering down the right. He passes infield for Nuno Mendes, who takes a touch, opens his body, and curls a vicious low shot off the base of the left-hand post and in. What a finish. This is over.
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26 min: Dembele probes down the right but can’t get past both Digne and Torres. Kvaratskhelia meanwhile has been quiet. Perhaps too quiet?
24 min: Rogers has looked the liveliest of the Villa attackers, and he advances again down the right before gliding infield and curling a low shot inches wide of the left-hand post. Donnarumma probably had it covered, but it would have been a close-run thing. Lovely effort.
23 min: Nuno Mendes nearly bursts clear into the Villa box down the left. Kamara sticks out a leg to put a stop to his gallop. It was a perfectly timed challenge. It had to be, or the ref would be pointing to the spot. Fine defending.
21 min: PSG respond by stroking the ball around at the back, taking all of the sting out of the game.
19 min: The ball drops to Rashford down the inside-left channel. His shot is blocked but at the expense of a corner, which Rashford takes himself. It’s easily cleared. But the ball is looped back into the mixer, then headed backwards strangely by Vitinha, dropping to Torres who has a whack from a tight angle on the left. Donnarumma stands tall and parries. Better from Villa.
17 min: Digne and McGinn try to get something going down the left, but Hakimi won’t budge. Not much in the way of a Villa response yet.
15 min: That’s muted the Villa fans, who have had their hopes seriously dented in double-quick time. The 2,000-strong PSG contingent are making themselves heard, though, with plenty of help from a very energetic drummer. The midlands are the heartland of heavy metal, after all.
13 min: Villa were on the attack just before the goal, only to be sprung on the counter. Morgan had won good possession in the middle of the park, and his team-mates advanced. He fed Rashford, who took a loose touch. Marquinhos pounced, and PSG sprung on the counter, Nuno Mendes pinging a long pass down the left to send Barcola on his way. Villa with a mountain to climb now.
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GOAL! Aston Villa 0-1 PSG (Hakimi 11); agg 1-4
Barcola advances down the left. He crosses low, hoping to find Dembele in the middle. Martinez gets down to block but can’t keep hold of the ball. He tees up Hakimi, who from the penalty spot sweeps the loose ball into the top-left corner.
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9 min: Rogers, Tielemans and Rashford combine elegantly down the right touchline, the latter nearly making space for a shot. Marquinhos is on point to put an end to Villa’s scheme. Speaking of scheming, here’s David Howell on that Uefa anthem switcheroo: “Accident? Or lucky charm considering Unai Emery’s record in matches preceded by that particular anthem?”
7 min: Konsa and Torres dally under a long ball down the PSG left. Dembele nips in and advances towards the box, sending a low cross in towards Barcola. It’s blocked and cleared, but for a nanosecond there, it looked like Villa were going to be architects of their own downfall.
5 min: Villa are first to everything at the moment. PSG yet to retain possession for any meaningful stretch of time. The home fans approve. The away end are giving it plenty as well, mind you.
3 min: From the second corner, Rashford dribbles in dangerously from the right but the PSG box is full of defenders and one of them whacks clear. A lively start by the hosts.
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2 min: Rashford whips it viciously towards the near post. Tielemans flicks it on, the ball flashing through the six-yard box. João Neves eyebrows it out for a corner on the other side.
1 min: McGinn loops a pass down the left for Rashford to chase. Hakimi shepherds the ball back to Donnarumma, who blooters clear. From the resulting throw, McGinn wins the first corner of the evening.
Villa kick off. They’re kicking towards the Holte End in this first half. It’s tipping down in Birmingham.
The teams are out! Villa in their storied claret, PSG in blue. The PA blasts out the Champions League anthem the Europa League music?! Oopsie. One hell of an atmosphere nonetheless. Ah, here’s the Champions League tune at the second time of asking. Better late than never. All the hits. We’ll be off in a minute.
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There are four Aston Villa players who would miss the first leg of the semi-final should they pick up a yellow card. Marcus Rashford, Lucas Digne, Boubacar Kamara and Axel Disasi need to be on their best behaviour.
There is only one PSG player walking the disciplinary tightrope. Fabián Ruiz their only man on a yellow.
Emery and his opposite number Luis Enrique have met in the knockout stage of the Champions League before. Here’s how one of the great comebacks/capitulations unfolded. PSG as an institution, and Marquinhos, the only survivor from their team that fateful night, will always have their demons. Then again so will Emery, who watched things fall apart in spectacular fashion from the Paris dugout. Probably best for everyone involved tonight if we quietly change the subject.
Unai Emery talks to Amazon Prime. “Good evening … we are motivated … excited … we have momentum in the season … try to get every drop of energy transmitted from the supporters to the team … now is the moment to focus our game-plan …we competed fantastic in Paris … we can compete fantastic again but do something more … we have to play with the ball and without the ball … play high, play low … set pieces … dominate with the ball … win duels … this is the highest level we have faced this year … I am looking forward to see how the players respond.”
Aston Villa make one change to their starting XI from the first leg. Amadou Onana comes in for Jacob Ramsey, who drops to the bench.
PSG make two changes to their starting line-up in the wake of their 3-1 win last Wednesday. Marquinhos returns from suspension and replaces Lucas Beraldo in defence, while Bradley Barcola comes in for last week’s hero Désiré Doué. Beraldo and Doué are on the bench.
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The teams
Aston Villa: Martinez, Cash, Konsa, Torres, Digne, Kamara, Onana, Rogers, Tielemans, McGinn, Rashford.
Subs: Olsen, Proctor, Disasi, Mings, Barkley, Watkins, Asensio, Maatsen, Bogarde, Bailey, Ramsey.
Paris Saint-Germain: Donnarumma, Hakimi, Marquinhos, Pacho, Nuno Mendes, Neves, Vitinha, Fabian, Barcola, Dembele, Kvaratskhelia.
Subs: Tenas, Safonov, Kimpembe, Goncalo Ramos, Lee, Hernandez, Mayulu, Zaire Emery, Lucas Beraldo, Mbaye, Doue.
Referee: Jose Maria Sanchez (Spain).
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Preamble
Six days ago this happened …
… so now the 1982 champions need a big performance if they’re to set up a semi-final showdown with either Arsenal or Real Madrid. It’s not beyond the realms – Villa have won seven of the 12 European ties in which they’ve been beaten in the first leg away from home – but PSG are 13 from 19 in Europe after winning the first leg at home, so both teams can take heart from history. Kick-off is at 8pm BST. It’s on!
