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- Paris Saint-Germain 3-1 Aston Villa: Doue, Kvaratskhelia and Mendes strike in thrilling win
Paris Saint-Germain 3-1 Aston Villa: Doue, Kvaratskhelia and Mendes strike in thrilling win
Desire Doue, Khvicha Kvaratskhelia and Nuno Mendes scored as Paris Saint-Germain earned a much-deserved win over Aston Villa on Wednesday.
Paris Saint-Germain put on a sparkling display as they fought back for a 3-1 win over Aston Villa in the first leg of the teams' Champions League quarter-final tie.
Unai Emery briefly had hope of a triumphant Parc des Princes return as Morgan Rogers put Villa ahead totally against the run of play in the first half, but that joy was short-lived.
Desire Doue's curling strike from the edge of the box quickly dragged PSG level, then Khvicha Kvaratskhelia put them ahead with another stunning effort shortly after half-time.
Penned back inside their own half, Villa desperately attempted to limit Luis Enrique's men to a 2-1 lead going into the second leg, but they were floored at the last, as Nuno Mendes added another composed finish.
PSG dominated from the first whistle, with Emiliano Martinez tipping Ousmane Dembele's fierce strike over, before Vitinha sent a curling shot just past the top-right corner from range.
But Villa struck completely against the run of play in the 35th minute. A flowing move culminated in Marcus Rashford slipping Youri Tielemans into the box on the left, and his low cross was turned home by Rogers at the far post.
But PSG refused to panic as a Doue effort struck the post and was scrambled off the line by Martinez, and the teenager had his goal 28 seconds later. Cutting in from the left, he fired an unstoppable shot off the underside of the crossbar and in.
Doue could have had another before half-time, drawing Martinez into another save then embarking on a slaloming run that ended with a shot blocked at close quarters.
But it was Kvaratskhelia who put PSG ahead four minutes after the break, beating half-time substitute Axel Disasi by nonchalantly rolling his studs over the ball, before lashing into the top corner from an acute angle.
Villa could not get close to PSG as they went in search of a third goal, but it looked as though they would have to settle for a one-goal lead when Achraf Hakimi was denied by Martinez, having seized on a clever dummy from Fabian Ruiz.
But three minutes into stoppage time, PSG found the goal that could very well decide the tie. Mendes raced onto Dembele's pass and sat Martinez down by cutting back onto his right foot, before sweeping into an empty net.
Data debrief: PSG just too good
Villa spent the second half defending deep and hoping to limit PSG to 2-1 ahead of the second leg next Tuesday, but ultimately, they could have no complaints about the margin of the hosts' victory.
When Rogers turned Tieleman's cross home in the 35th minute, those were Villa's first two touches in the PSG area. And by half-time, PSG had fired off 15 shots – their most in the first period of a Champions League game since December 2016 (also 15 against Ludogorets).
By full-time, PSG had attempted 29 shots to Villa's seven, with 19 of those coming from inside the box.
There were meaningful contributions from all their star forwards, too. Kvaratskhelia became the first Georgian to reach double figures for Champions League goal involvements (four goals, six assists), while Doue has now scored in four straight games in all competitions.
Dembele might not have gotten on the scoresheet, but he was the creative hub of his team, laying on nine chances for his team-mates.
By assisting Mendes' late third, he made it 27 goal involvements in all competitions in 2025 (24 goals, three assists) – more than any other player from Europe's top five leagues.