John McGinn admits Paris Saint-Germain stand as the toughest opposition he’s faced in his career, after Aston Villa’s European dream came to a gut-wrenching end in a UEFA Champions League classic at Villa Park.
The Scotland vice-captain and his Villa teammates pushed the French giants to the limit on Tuesday night, fighting back from a mountain of a deficit before narrowly falling short of a semi-final place.
Villa, trailing 3-1 from the first leg in Paris, saw the aggregate scoreline slip to 5-1 inside half an hour as Achraf Hakimi and Nuno Mendes struck early for PSG. But Unai Emery’s side refused to exit the competition without a fight.
And McGinn — who turned in a pair of inspired performances across the two legs — helped spark an extraordinary fightback.
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Tielemans halved the deficit on the night shortly before half-time, offering Villa a glimmer of hope.
McGinn then brought the second leg level with a crisp finish from the edge of the box, before Marcus Rashford — on loan from Manchester United — produced a sublime piece of skill to set up Ezri Konsa, who fired home a third to send Villa Park into raptures.
The goal edged the hosts to within touching distance of forcing extra-time.
But despite a late flurry of chances — including Ian Maatsen’s effort that was heroically cleared off the line deep into stoppage time — Villa’s fairytale comeback fell agonisingly short, as PSG scraped through 5-4 on aggregate.
Speaking after the full-time whistle, McGinn could not hide his pride in his side’s resilience against what he called the most formidable teams he has encountered during his career.
“Obvious disappointment but I am proud of my teammates, proud of the club,” McGinn reflected. “We have come a long way. We were so, so close tonight.
“We just fell a little bit short. We had chances to take the game to extra-time but we've got to be proud about the way we came back against one of the best teams in the world, to fight to the end.
“We want more. We want to be back here next season and we will try our best to do that.”
Asked what manager Emery said to keep the spirits up at the break, the 30-year-old added: “He said 'I'm proud of the performance, keep going, you just never know'. We never gave up. It was chaos, but we gave absolutely everything and I think every Aston Villa supporter will leave with a huge sense of pride.”
And when pressed on how PSG compared to previous opposition, McGinn was forthright in his assessment.
“I've never played against Real Madrid or Barcelona, but in my career they're the best team I have faced,” he admitted. “I'm getting old and I certainly wouldn't like to play against them every week.”
Despite the heartbreak, Villa’s return to European relevance has marked a significant stride forward for the Midlands club — with McGinn underlining his desire to ensure nights like these become a regular fixture rather than a fleeting fairytale.
And they still have the opportunity to return to the competition next season should they earn a top five finish in the English Premier League.
