Aston Villa almost came back against PSG

Goalkeeper Donnarumma celebrates after the match - Photo: REUTERS

PSG off to a flying start

In the first leg, PSG beat Aston Villa 3-1 at home. A 2-goal difference is too big for a "dark horse" team like Aston Villa.

On the other hand, PSG are famous for their history of being beaten in the Champions League. The French team was defeated by Chelsea and Man United after leading by 2 goals in the first leg. And they even lost to Barca after winning 4-0.

Therefore, coach Luis Enrique and his team are determined to change their fortunes, with a reasonable defensive counter-attacking style of play in the early stages of the match. PSG used their strongest lineup in this match, when captain Marquinhos returned, and the attack line was still very strong.

In the 11th minute, PSG poured cold water on Aston Villa's hopes with a lightning-fast counter-attack.

Hakimi's opening goal - Photo: REUTERS

From the left wing, Kvaratskhelia broke through strongly and then crossed the ball into the box. Goalkeeper Martinez rushed out to block but could not hold the ball. Therefore, Hakimi ran in and finished, opening the score for PSG.

In the 27th minute, PSG doubled the gap with a neat finish from Nuno Mendes. Dembele was the one who assisted the Portuguese left-back to score in a perfect counter-attack.

At this point, the aggregate score of the two matches was 5-1 in favor of PSG. It was almost the end for Aston Villa.

Tielemans clings to hope for Aston Villa - Photo: REUTERS

Aston Villa rise up

But a somewhat lucky goal from Tielemans gave Aston Villa hope. In the 34th minute, the Belgian midfielder fired a powerful shot from inside the penalty area, the ball hit the head of a PSG defender and changed direction, leaving goalkeeper Donnarumma helpless.

PSG showed signs of slowing down in the second half. And they immediately paid the price against Aston Villa's fierce attack. In the 55th minute, McGinn brought the match back to a dramatic level with a wonderful long-range shot.

McGinn's masterpiece - Photo: REUTERS

PSG's defense played superficially in this situation, allowing the Aston Villa midfielder to take a beautiful shot, leaving goalkeeper Donnarumma helpless.

Just 2 minutes later, French fans were shocked to see Konsa score to make it 3-2 with a decisive kick. The first credit went to Rashford when he cleverly broke through on the right wing and then crossed for his teammate to score.

Konsa celebrates the goal that increased the score to 3-2 - Photo: REUTERS

The aggregate score was now 4-5 (3-2 in the second leg), Aston Villa only needed to score 1 more goal to bring the match back to balance. If it weren't for Donnarumma's brilliant reflexes, PSG would have even been equalized just a few minutes later.

The Italian goalkeeper flew beautifully to block his opponent's header from just 5 meters away. In the 70th minute, Donnarumma won again in a one-on-one situation with Asensio.

Donnarumma played very well - Photo: REUTERS

PSG also had many regrets when they failed to take advantage of the counter-attacks at the end of the match. However, the talent of goalkeeper Donnarumma helped them stand firm against the attacks of Aston Villa.

There were no more surprises, Aston Villa won 3-2 in the second leg, but lost 4-5 on aggregate and had to watch PSG advance to the semi-finals.

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HUY DANG

Source: https://tuoitre.vn/aston-villa-suyt-loi-nguoc-dong-truoc-psg-20250416043642399.htm