Advertisement League of Ireland Horse Racing TV Listings GAA Fixtures The Video Review Sport meets news, current affairs, society & pop culture Rugby Weekly Extra Dive into all the news and analysis 3 times a week The Football Family Weekly insights from the week’s big talking points Advertisement More Stories PSG's Nuno Mendes celebrates after scoring.Alamy Stock Photo FreeThriller Remarkable Villa comeback falls short as PSG reach fourth semi-final in 6 seasons It was a heartbreaking night for Unai Emery’s side. 9.51pm, 15 Apr 2025 Share options PARIS SAINT-GERMAIN survived a second-half onslaught to beat Aston Villa 5-4 on aggregate and reach the Champions League semi-finals despite a 3-2 defeat on Tuesday. The French champions were cruising towards the last four when full-backs Achraf Hakimi and Nuno Mendes struck in the first 27 minutes to add to their 3-1 first-leg lead. Youri Tielemans pulled a goal back for the English side before half-time, and two goals in two minutes from John McGinn and Ezri Konsa transformed the tie early in the second period. PSG were thankful to goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma for keeping Unai Emery’s men at bay and preventing another famous collapse in the Champions League knockout stages. Villa boss Emery was in charge of PSG when Luis Enrique’s Barcelona overturned a 4-0 first-leg deficit with a dramatic 6-1 win in 2017. Luis Enrique again emerged victorious over his compatriot but was the one this time given a scare of blowing a seemingly unassailable lead. Villa had not experienced a European night like this since 1983, and there was an embarrassing moment for the hosts before a ball was kicked as the Europa League anthem was played instead of the famous pre-match hymn of the Champions League. Desire Doue’s stunning strike to begin PSG’s fightback from 1-0 down in last week’s first leg was not enough for him to retain his place in the side. But Luis Enrique’s decision to start Bradley Barcola was justified when he sprinted down the left, and Emiliano Martinez spilt his cross into the path of Hakimi, who fired home the opener on 11 minutes. Advertisement Another blistering break from the visitors cut Villa open as Ousmane Dembele squared for left-back Mendes to stroke in his fourth Champions League goal of the season and second of the tie. - Royals in raptures - Villa’s refusal to give up the fight was rewarded when Tielemans’ deflected effort pulled a goal back before half-time. Villa fanatic Prince William and his son George were among the home support that were in raptures as what seemed an impossible fightback came closer to reality. McGinn’s deflected effort flew into the top corner to restore parity on the night at 2-2. Emery’s decision to start with Marcus Rashford up front ahead of top scorer Ollie Watkins was a controversial one before kick-off. Rashford has been reborn since a January loan move from Manchester United. The England international was denied a goal by a stunning save from Donnarumma. But from the resulting corner, Rashford nutmegged Fabian Ruiz, skipped past Vitinha and cut the ball back for Konsa to slot in at the near post. A PSG side that looked imperious in the first 45 minutes were suddenly all at sea as Villa missed a series of chances to take the game to extra time. Donnarumma produced another brilliant save to prevent Tielemans’s header from finding the top corner. Marco Asensio then had the chance to net against his parent club only for Donnarumma to fly out from his goal to block. Konsa should have headed in another enticing Rashford delivery. But Rashford’s removal for Watkins proved a turning point as PSG restored control and should have added to their lead in the closing stages as Martinez saved from Hakimi and Doue. Willian Pacho blocked Ian Maatsen’s goalbound effort in stoppage time to deny Villa at the death. But they have surpassed expectations in their first experience of the elite level of European football for over four decades. For PSG, their quest to win the competition for the first time goes on and they have rarely had a better opportunity to end that wait. Arsenal are their likely semi-final opponents as the Gunners take a 3-0 quarter-final, first-leg advantage away to holders Real Madrid on Wednesday. On the other half of the draw, Barcelona will face either Inter Milan or Bayern Munich in a heavyweight clash. But PSG are arguably the continent’s form side, and with the Ligue 1 title long since sewn up, can focus entirely on conquering Europe in Munich on 31 May. – © AFP 2025 View 15 comments Send Tip or Correction Embed this post To embed this post, copy the code below on your site Email “Remarkable Villa comeback falls short as PSG reach fourth semi-final in 6 seasons”. Recipient's Email Feedback on “Remarkable Villa comeback falls short as PSG reach fourth semi-final in 6 seasons”. Your Feedback Your Email (optional) Report a Comment Please select the reason for reporting this comment. Please give full details of the problem with the comment... This is YOUR comments community. Stay civil, stay constructive, stay on topic. Please familiarise yourself with our comments policy before taking part. Leave a Comment Submit a report Please help us understand how this comment violates our community guidelines. Damaging the good reputation of someone, slander, or libel. 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