Aston Villa 3-2 Paris Saint-Germain: Player Ratings and Match Highlights
Daniel Hepburn
11 – 14 minutes
Under the lights and inside a rain-soaked Villa Park, Unai Emery’s Aston Villa began to turn the screw in the second half but were unable to overthrow their two-goal deficit from their first leg against Paris Saint-Germain in their Champions League quarter-final clash.
It didn’t take long for things to get underway. The French side, who are one of the remaining favourites in Europe’s top table, extended their lead over both legs to three goals after Achraf Hakimi was the quickest to react to Aston Villa’s defensive mishap.
In truth, PSG dominated plenty of the ball – and that was made obvious when Nuno Mendes made it two in the Second City. Six minutes later, the hosts were given a glimmer of hope after Youri Tielemans’ deflected shot found the back of the net.
John McGinn then took the game into his own hands. The Scot ran from inside his own box to get Villa Park rocking – and his strike was top tier. As was Marcus Rashford’s work in the build-up to the host’s third of the evening, which was finished off emphatically by Ezri Konsa.
Luis Enrique’s side lost 3–2 on the night but, by virtue of their success in the French capital, reigned triumphant over the two legs with an aggregate score of 5–4. They will face one of Real Madrid or Arsenal in the semi-finals.
Aston Villa vs Paris Saint-Germain – Match Statistics
Aston Villa
Statistic
Paris Saint-Germain
34
Possession (%)
66
17
Shots
14
8
Shots on target
7
5
Saves
5
5
Corners
5
1
Yellow cards
0
Match Highlights
Aston Villa Player Ratings
emiliano martinez
Emiliano Martinez – 4/10
It wasn’t the easiest night at the office for the World Cup: he was at fault for PSG’s opener and rarely got what he wanted, which was his moment to thrive.
Matty Cash – 4/10
The Pole struggled with the dynamism of Barcola and you could see that PSG were looking to make the most of his poor performance.
Ezri Konsa – 7/10
Strong in his duels as expected, and he helped his side towards a memorable night with his goal. Failed to connect with a free header to make it 5-5 across both legs.
Pau Torres – 6/10
Not always reliable at the heart of Emery’s back line, his passing range remained typically on point.
Lucas Digne – 5/10
The seasoned left-back showed signs of intent of getting up and down the flank, but the French outfit’s well-drilled nature alleviated his ability to.
Boubacar Kamara – 6/10
Put himself about by breaking down attacks to the best of his ability – he was also a menace to duel with.
Amadou Onana – 7/10
A refreshing presence in the middle of the park for Emery’s men, but he was often bypassed by the brilliance of PSG’s three-man engine room.
John McGinn – 7/10
Albeit not his finest night, the midfielder produced a scintillating run for his goal.
Youri Tielemans – 7.5/10
Rather anonymous and was made to drop deep to receive the ball: a tactic that seldom worked. Came to life in the second half and was dancing in the engine room.
Morgan Rogers – 7/10
A natural on the big stage, Rogers was his side’s brightest spark from an attacking perspective. He also worked hard defensively when relied upon.
Marcus Rashford – 8.5/10 (Man of the Match)
Somewhat out of tune with his teammates, Rashford’s play was error-ridden early on. Incredible in the build-up for Konsa’s goal, his brilliance eventually came to the fore.
Sub – Marco Asensio (69′) – 6/10
Subbed on to haunt his parent club, Asensio fluffed his headline-stealing moment. A lively cameo.
Sub – Jacob Ramsey (69′) – 4/10
Little to no impact.
Sub – Ollie Watkins (76′) – 3/10
Replaced Rashford with Villa searching for another goal, but he barely saw the ball.
Sub – Ian Maatsen (76′) – 3/10
Introduced to provide more width on the left.
Sub – Ross Barkley (88′) – 3/10
Given just two minutes of regulation time.
Paris Saint-Germain Player Ratings
psg
Gianluigi Donnarumma – 7/10
Had very little to deal with in the first 45, but he was resolute regardless, especially in the second half when Villa ramped up their efforts on goal.
Achraf Hakimi – 7/10
Alert to the chaos to prod home his side’s first of the evening. Defensively sound, too, but he was questioned one or two times in the second half.
Marquinhos – 6/10
Endured the odd shaky moment but, all in all, his class and know-how shone through.
William Pacho – 7/10
A fantastic showing from the Ecuadorian. A real calm and composed presence on the ball.
Nuno Mendes – 8/10
Popped up in an array of positions on the pitch as PSG dominated proceedings and added his fourth goal of the competition in the 28th minute.
Joao Neves – 7/10
Worked brilliantly in the heart of the action. Neat on both feet, a genius in tight spaces – he’s a one-of-a-kind footballer. Struggled to cope with Villa’s second half performance.
Vitinha – 8.5/10
The most intelligent player on the pitch, Vitinha was PSG’s tempo-dictating man in the middle. Mind you, he struggled physically and was defended poorly for Konsa’s goal.
Fabian Ruiz – 7/10
Although he rarely jumps off the page thanks to PSG’s star-studded line-up, Ruiz was a vital cog in his side’s performance in England.
Khvicha Kvaratskhelia – 7/10
His off-the-ball movement was second to none but, in terms of being a threat in the final third, the Georgian was not as fruitful as usual.
Ousmane Dembele – 7/10
What’s left to be said? Instrumental to PSG’s well-worked forward play as always. His running was relentless all night.
Bradley Barcola – 7/10
Pivotal in PSG’s first and was a constant thorn on the left-hand side until he made way for his countryman, Doue.
Sub – Desire Doue (61′)– /10
Unfortunate not to start, the youngster gave PSG an instant lease of life on the right.
