BIRMINGHAM, ENGLAND – APRIL 15: Morgan Rogers of Aston Villa and Ousmane Dembele of Paris Saint Germain during the UEFA Champions League 2024/25 Quarter Final Second Leg match between Aston Villa FC and Paris Saint-Germain at Villa Park on April 15, 2025 in Birmingham, England. (Photo by Catherine Ivill – AMA/Getty Images)
(Catherine Ivill – AMA via Getty Images)
Paris Saint-Germain staved off a furious Aston Villa comeback to join Barcelona in the Champions League semifinals on a nearly-unforgettable Tuesday night in Europe.
At halftime of two simultaneous quarterfinals, each favorite had a three-goal aggregate lead. Barca held on to its advantage, and beat Dortmund 5-3 over two legs, despite losing the second 3-1. PSG, meanwhile, had been ahead 5-1 in Tuesday’s first half, and looked comfortable.
Advertisement
Advertisement
But in the second half, Villa fought back to within 5-4, and fears of another Champions League collapse spread throughout Paris. Trapped in a cauldron of noise in the English Midlands, the French champions relinquished control of a chaotic quarterfinal tie. Villa scored in the 55th minute, and again in the 57th, and just kept on coming.
But PSG withstood the relentless Villa pressure, and stabilized over the final 15 minutes, and advanced to the semis, where it will face either Arsenal or Real Madrid.
Barcelona will play either Inter Milan or Bayern Munich.
At one point, both favorites were cruising. Tuesday began as many expected it would, with PSG and Barca comfortable. In Birmingham, England, Villa played with passion and verve; but PSG countered with precision, and went ahead 1-0, then 2-0 on the night — and 5-1 on aggregate.
Villa, though, was undeterred. Youri Tielemans finally finished one of several flowing moves in the 34th minute.
Advertisement
Advertisement
John McGinn got a second 10 minutes after halftime, and Villa Park erupted.
The hosts rode a rippling wave of energy and belief and noise to a third goal two minutes later, and suddenly, PSG seemed broken.
But the Parisians recovered, and survived the onslaught. And at the end of a frantic, spine-tingling Champions League night, they stood tall, and confident, in the semis.
