Paris Saint-Germain produced a stunning comeback to defeat Aston Villa 3-1 in the first leg of their UEFA Champions League quarter-final clash on Wednesday, thanks in large part to a moment of magic from Khvicha Kvaratskhelia.
Aston Villa took a surprise lead in the 35th minute at the Parc des Princes, with Morgan Rogers calmly converting a precise delivery to stun the Parisian crowd. However, the home side quickly restored parity through a well-taken strike by Desire Doue.
Just four minutes into the second half, Georgian winger Kvaratskhelia stole the spotlight with a spectacular solo effort to hand PSG the lead, before Nuno Mendes capped the night with a vital third goal in stoppage time, giving the French champions a two-goal cushion ahead of the return leg in Birmingham next Tuesday.
Having already ousted Liverpool in the previous round, Luis Enrique’s side now stands in a commanding position to secure back-to-back semi-final appearances in Europe’s elite competition.
Villa, buoyed by the support of Prince William and his son George in the stands, will need to mount a historic turnaround if they hope to advance to the final four for the first time since their European triumph in 1982. The Midlands side may draw inspiration from their manager Unai Emery’s dramatic past encounter with Luis Enrique—most notably in 2017 when Emery’s PSG defeated Barcelona 4-0 at home, only to lose the second leg 6-1 at the Camp Nou.
For Wednesday’s clash, PSG were without suspended captain Marquinhos, and Bradley Barcola started on the bench for the first time in the tournament this season. Consequently, Enrique opted for a front three comprising Kvaratskhelia, Doue, and the prolific Ousmane Dembele, who has scored 32 times this season.
Villa arrived in Paris in formidable form, having won their last seven matches across all competitions. Marco Asensio, currently on loan at Villa from PSG, started on the bench against his parent club. The visitors set up defensively, and the first half largely unfolded in their half. PSG dominated possession and came close through Dembele, who forced a fine save from Emiliano Martinez early on.
Aston Villa Strike First
Despite PSG’s dominance, Villa broke the deadlock against the run of play. Captain John McGinn dispossessed Nuno Mendes inside his own half and quickly released Marcus Rashford down the left flank. Rashford then fed Youri Tielemans, whose low cross across goal found Rogers for a simple tap-in—his 14th of the season.
PSG responded almost immediately. Martinez fumbled a shot from Doue, nearly conceding, and from the resulting corner, the hosts equalised. The ball was worked across the field to Doue, who stepped inside and curled a sublime finish past Martinez and into the far corner—a moment of brilliance from the 19-year-old, who recently made his senior debut for France.
Kvaratskhelia, however, raised the bar even further. Just four minutes into the second half, the former Napoli winger received a through ball from Fabian Ruiz on the left. After dancing past Axel Disasi with a dazzling display of footwork, Kvaratskhelia unleashed a powerful shot that flew past Martinez and went in off the near post.
Emery responded with several substitutions, including the introduction of Asensio, as Villa attempted to claw their way back into the contest. Meanwhile, Achraf Hakimi had a goal disallowed for the hosts.
In stoppage time, Dembele split the defence with a precise pass to Mendes, who slotted home to seal a 3-1 advantage and put PSG in the driver’s seat ahead of the second leg.
