Aston Villa player ratings vs PSG: One standout 8/10, several 7s but three 5s at Parc des Princes
Charlie Haffenden
6 – 7 minutes
Watch more of our videos on ShotsTV.com
and on Freeview 262 or Freely 565
Visit Shots! now
Aston Villa’s Champions League hopes are still just about intact following a justified 3-1 defeat away at Paris Saint-Germain in the first leg of the quarter-finals.
Unai Emery’s side will return for next Tuesday’s second leg at Villa Park with their heads held high having dug in to concede three despite being bombarded for the majority of the encounter at the Parc des Princes. Morgan Rogers handed Villa a surprise lead against the run of play but world-class finishes from Desire Doue and Khvicha Kvaratskhelia – and a late sucker punch from Nuno Mendes – turned the game on its head.
Villa scored their surprise opener in the 35th minute as Rogers tapped home from a drilled Youri Tielemans cross to round off a scintillating counter-attack. Captain John McGinn was the instigator as he chopped in to win possession just inside his own half and switched the play to Marcus Rashford, who fed Tielemans to deliver on a plate for the goalscorer. It was one of the first times the away side had ventured forward but they made it count.
The PSG ultras dropped silent for the first time in hours but it took just four minutes for the noisy bunch to explode back into voice as Doue equalised with a thunderous strike off the underside of the crossbar. Nuno Mendes will claim the assist for the lay-off but all the credit must go to Doue, who cut inside from wide left and whipped over Martinez to hit the woodwork at just the right angle.
PSG had threatened just moments earlier as Doue struck from range and nearly made Emiliano Martinez’s worst nightmare come true; Villa’s goalkeeper, an arch nemesis in these parts, spilled Doue’s effort onto the post and the ball very nearly rebounded in but just about stayed out.
Kvaratskhelia rocketed the Parisiens in front just after half time as the Georgia international made Villa pay for giving up possession too easily at the opposite end. PSG were clinical with their one-touch passing and found Kvaratskhelia in space on the left; the former Napoli man dropped a shoulder and beat substitute Axel Disasi for skill before unleashing a piledriver into the roof of the net. The shot was so perfectly placed – glancing in off the top left of the woodwork – that Martinez left lapless at his near post.
Achraf Hakimi thought he’d added a third in the 71st minute as he sprinted onto a Kvaratskhelia through pass and fired into the far bottom corner, but the linesman’s flag was raised. Martinez was spared his blushes as Hakimi fired between the Argentine’s legs.
PSG remained in the ascendency in the closing stages and capitalised, scoring again at the death to assert even more control ahead of the return leg. Mendes, afforded space by the slipping Boubacar Kamara, was fed through by Ousmane Dembele and completely wrong-footed both Ezri Konsa and Martinez before slotting the ball into the net. Villa have it all to do next week, but at least they’re still in with a slim chance.
Player ratings
Emiliano Martinez: The arch enemy in these parts, Martinez wasn’t able to boast a great deal in response to the taunts. The first two goals weren’t easy to stop as Doue and Kvaratskhelia showcased their world-class quality with outstanding finishes but Martinez was sat down for Mendes’ late goal. He also spilt one Doue effort in the first half, saved only by the post. Made eight saves – some straightforward – to keep the score down. 6
Matty Cash (off at HT): Gave away four fouls in the first half and was booked for his third, just 17 minutes in. Really struggled to deal with Kvaratskhelia and was replaced at the break to avoid a second yellow. 5
Ezri Konsa: Anticipated the timing and direction of so many long shots, getting in the perfect position to make the necessary blocks. Let down right at the end, however, as he was grounded by Mendes’ skill. 7
Pau Torres: Performed a similar role to Konsa in keeping PSG’s lively attackers as quiet as physically possible. Won his fair share of aerial duels. 7
Lucas Digne: Stood up well to Dembele for the most part, limiting the winger’s threat. Unable to generate much joy down the left flank as he usually would, though. 6
Boubacar Kamara: Made more tackles than any other player on the pitch (six) as he helped offer Villa some occasional reprieve from PSG’s relentless attacks. Slipped at the pivotal moment as Mendes ran through for his goal, mind. 7
Youri Tielemans (off 79’): Assisted Rogers’ goal with a perfectly weighted low delivery. Was always looking for that eye-of-the-needle pass to strike on the transition. 7
John McGinn (off 79’): Played a pivotal role in Rogers’ opener as he chopped in to win possession out of nowhere, kick-starting the counter. Did brilliantly to turn away from his marker and others on other occasions as well. Tried to break up the play when he could as one of the hardest working players on the pitch. 8*
Jacob Ramsey (off 59’): Did his defensive duties brilliantly, often dropping into a five as an auxiliary left-back to provide extra cover. Was effective when he had the chance to take on defenders, too. 7
Morgan Rogers: Opened the scoring by making a superb late run into the area and converting from close range. Had the odd customary charge forward – and one more shot on target – but wasn’t able to threaten after his goal. 7
Marcus Rashford (off 79’): Led the line instead of Ollie Watkins but was rather ineffective, albeit he was running off little service due to PSG’s dominance. Didn’t register a single shot and ran into trouble with most dribble attempts. 5
Axel Disasi (on at HT): Had a nightmare first moment as Kvaratskhelia knocked the ball past him with ease before scoring PSG’s second goal. 5
Marco Asensio (on 59’): Unable to get as involved as he would’ve desired, sending just one hopeful shot wide. Didn’t receive a single cheer or jeer as he was subbed on against his parent club. 6
