PSG Rallies Past Aston Villa for Strong Champions League Advantage

PARIS, France — Paris Saint-Germain took a commanding 3-1 lead over Aston Villa in the first leg of their Champions League quarter-final match on April 9, 2025, after rallying from an early deficit at Parc des Princes. Despite a stunning first-half goal from Villa’s Morgan Rogers, PSG quickly regrouped and dominated the rest of the match, scoring three unanswered goals to set the tone for the return leg at Villa Park.

The match started with a surprising twist; Villa capitalized on a rare attack to take the lead in the 35th minute. A well-coordinated play initiated by Marcus Rashford led to Youri Tielemans crossing the ball into the box, where Rogers was ready to slot it home.

“It was a fantastic moment for us,” said Rogers. “But we knew PSG would respond; they are a world-class team.”

That response came swiftly, as Désiré Doué leveled the score with a curling shot from the edge of the box just two minutes later. Doué’s shot hit the underside of the crossbar before finding the net, a critical moment that shifted momentum back to PSG.

Four minutes into the second half, Khvicha Kvaratskhelia put PSG ahead with a brilliant solo effort. After faking out Villa defender Axel Disasi, Kvaratskhelia unleashed a powerful shot from an acute angle, making it a 2-1 lead for the Parisians.

Penned deep in their half for much of the second period, Aston Villa fought to contain PSG’s onslaught. Emiliano Martinez made several crucial saves, including one from Achraf Hakimi when he appeared on the brink of scoring his team’s third.

However, three minutes into stoppage time, the hosts sealed their victory with a third goal. Nuno Mendes, who had an impressive game, burst through the Villa defense after connecting with a pass from Ousmane Dembélé. Mendes made a smart move to evade Martinez and slotted the ball into an unguarded net.

“In the final minutes, we had to give everything to not let them score again, but they are relentless,” Villa manager Unai Emery remarked after the match.

The statistics illustrated PSG’s dominance; they fired off 29 shots compared to Villa’s seven, with 19 attempts coming from within the box. This was PSG’s highest shot count in a Champions League match first half since December 2016.

Star players made significant contributions for PSG. Kvaratskhelia’s goal marked his tenth involvement in Champions League matches this season, while Doué has now scored in four consecutive games across all competitions. Dembélé, although he did not score, led his team with nine chances created.

With a 3-1 aggregate score heading into the second leg, Villa will need a monumental effort to overcome the deficit and reach the semi-finals of the tournament, which takes place next Tuesday.