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- Aston Villa 3-2 Paris Saint-Germain (4-5 agg): Brave hosts fall agonisingly short of semi-final
Aston Villa 3-2 Paris Saint-Germain (4-5 agg): Brave hosts fall agonisingly short of semi-final
Aston Villa were beaten 5-4 on aggregate in the Champions League quarter-final by Paris Saint-Germain despite winning the second leg 3-2.
Paris Saint-Germain survived an inspired second-half performance from Aston Villa to win their Champions League quarter-final 5-4 on aggregate, despite losing 3-2 in the second leg.
The French quickly picked up where they had left off in last week's first leg in Paris, with marauding full-back Achraf Hakimi netting the opener at Villa Park.
Just 16 minutes later, PSG's other full-back looked to have killed the tie by putting the visitors two up as he smartly finished off a breakaway while the hosts attacked.
But Youri Tielemans offered Villa a glimmer of hope with a deflected finish from inside the area in the 34th minute.
In the 55th minute, captain John McGinn sent Villa Park into bedlam as he levelled things on the night. McGinn picked up the ball and drove forward before catching Gianluigi Donnarumma out with a long-range strike.
Just two minutes later, Ezri Konsa finished from inside the area after being picked out by Marcus Rashford, who had brilliantly carried the ball past two defenders into the area.
Now, Villa were 3-2 ahead and just one behind on aggregate with over half an hour to go.
Understandably, the hosts poured forward and drew a string of brilliant saves from Donnarumma. Konsa was unfortunate not to get on the end of another cross, while Ian Maatsen saw a goalbound volley blocked late on.
Ultimately, PSG were able to hang on, though they had been pushed all the way. The French side will face either Arsenal or Real Madrid in the semi-final.
Data debrief: Impressive Villa performance not enough to go through
Since making his Aston Villa debut in February, no Premier League player has provided more assists across all competitions than Marcus Rashford (five).
For PSG, meanwhile, Mendes' goal was his fourth in the Champions League this season, making him the top-scoring defender in the competition.
It was also the first time that PSG have failed to win a Champions League game despite leading by two goals since March 2001.