The England international sparked hopes of an upset but PSG's lethal attackers put them in control
Aston Villa's dreams of a Champions League semi-final are hanging by a thread after a battling 3-1 defeat to a quality Paris Saint-Germain on Wednesday. A third goal in stoppage time could prove to be the killer blow for Unai Emery's side after an admirable quarter-final first-leg performance in Paris.
Villa had to batten down the hatches early on as a PSG onslaught threatened to engulf them, with Ousmane Dembele and Vitinha going close for the hosts.
The recently crowned Ligue 1 champions were dominating possession and chances but conceded a shock goal in the 35th minute when Morgan Rogers tapped in Youri Tielemans' pass from a flowing team move.
Mere moments after Emiliano Martinez had nearly let a tame Desire Doue shot squirm past him, the 19-year-old produced a moment of magic when he fired a thunderbolt from 20 yards in off the bar six minutes before half-time.
January signing Khvicha Kvaratskhelia then ran rings around substitute Axel Disasi, before unleashing a ripsnorter of a shot past Martinez shortly after the break to make it 2-1.
The away side were indebted to their Argentine 'keeper, who was repeatedly booed by the home crowd, when he got down well to keep out Achraf Hakimi's curling effort.
PSG's high press suffocated the visitors, as wave after wave of attacks broke upon Emery's outclassed side – who breathed a sigh of relief after Hakimi's goal was ruled out for offside.
Just when Villa looked to be taking a one-goal deficit to Villa Park for the second leg of this Champions League quarter-final, Nuno Mendes scored a sublime stoppage-time goal to put PSG in command of the tie.
GOAL rates Aston Villa's players from Parc des Princes…
AFPGoalkeeper & Defence
Emi Martinez (7/10):
Pulled off some very good stops, was nearly embarrassed by a comical error, and kept the scoreline respectable.
Matty Cash (4/10):
Had no answer to the tricky Kvaratskhelia and seemed like he was a red card waiting to happen. Was replaced at half-time.
Ezri Konsa (7/10):
Faced a lot of quality but largely held his own in the French capital with good defending and decision making.
Pau Torres (6/10):
Didn't do much wrong and won some important aerial battles on the night. Looked a little less solid when PSG broke at speed.
Lucas Digne (7/10):
Put in some good defensive contributions but all of his work seemed to be in his final third.
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Boubacar Kamara (6/10):
Got stuck in against PSG's free-flowing midfield, and notched some timely inteceptions, but was often chasing shadows.
Youri Tielemans (7/10):
The Belgian was heavily involved in Villa's opener and was their most creative outlet for long periods.
John McGinn (7/10):
The Scot worked his socks off in Paris and showed good strength in the lead up to his team's goal. Gave a good account of himself.
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Morgan Rogers (7/10):
Kept onto the ball very well and was in the right place at the right time for his goal, but maybe gave Doue a little bit too much space for PSG's equaliser. Kept on trucking despite being starved of service.
Marcus Rashford (6/10):
Used his pace and directness to good effect in the first half but was much less effective as the game wore on.
Jacob Ramsey (5/10):
Was quite quiet and much of his work involved trying to track back and cover the speedy Hakimi.
AFPSubs & Manager
Axel Disasi (4/10):
His first meaningful contribution was when Kvaratskhelia made him look silly as PSG took the lead. Looked a liability at right-back.
Marco Asensio (5/10):
The PSG loanee would have wanted to make an impact against his parent club but barely had a touch when he came on.
Ollie Watkins (6/10):
Didn't get much of a chance to shine.
Ian Maatsen (6/10):
Looked lively off the bench.
Amadou Onana (7/10):
Seemed to help Villa keep hold of possession a bit better when he came on, including one marauding run.
Unai Emery (7/10):
The former PSG boss had a clear strategy, and for long periods his side executed that plan well. While the French team's quality told in the end, this was not a bad display at all.
