Aston Villa manager Unai Emery has refused to give up on his side’s chances of advancing to the next stage of the UCL, despite suffering a 3-1 loss to Paris Saint Germain on Wednesday.
The English side headed into the first leg of the quarterfinals at the Parc des Princes hoping for a shock win after eliminating Belgian side Club Brugge in the previous round.
Emery’s side took the lead in the first half through the in-form Morgan Rogers, who tapped in at the back post from a Youri Tielemans cross.
French youngster Desire Doue equalized for the hosts moments after hitting the crossbar with a stunning attempt past Argentina goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez.
“It was more or less the expectation I had before the match. Maybe there is not a lot of difference between 2-1 and 3-1. We will play at home next week and it will still be a huge challenge for us, but we will feel strong at home with our supporters at Villa Park”, Unai Emery said after the match.
“Today, we needed to be disciplined in defence and even when we were losing 2-1, we had three approaches in their box. More or less, we are right in our momentum to be close to a result. The last goal we conceded, we have to accept it. Our mind doesn’t change a lot – we have to win at home and by more than one goal.”
Former Napoli forward Khvicha Kvaratskhelia put the French side ahead with another stunning effort just after the break, turning substitute Axel Disasi before putting the ball past Martinez in the Villa goal.
Ousmane Dembele then provided the assist for Portuguese leftback Nuno Mendes to score a third in stoppage time, to give the Parisiens the first leg advantage.
“In the first half, we had three or four chances to get in their box, maybe only one chance to score. We needed to be clinical and we were in the first half, not in the second.
We believe in our supporters, we believe in Villa Park and that the players can get the best performance next week”, Emery added.
Aston Villa are next in action in the English Premier League on Saturday against relegated Southampton before hosting PSG at the Villa Park next Tuesday, hoping to overcome the first leg deficit.
Olakitan is a young writer with a strong passion for sports, having gained experience with IndyPress and Nimelssa Press. His enthusiasm for sports inspired him to cover events both within his school and beyond. With a deep understanding of the game and a refined skillset, he brings sports coverage to a broad, global audience in a way that’s engaging and accessible.
