Advantage PSG as late Mendes effort leaves Villa with hill to climb
Aston Villa's Pau Torres and team-mates react after they concede a third goal during the UEFA Champions League quarter-final, first leg. Pic: Adam Davy/PA Wire.
Aston Villa face an uphill task next Tuesday if they are to reach the Champions League semi-finals and continue to challenge on three fronts.
Only 2-1 down to Paris St-Germain as this game entered added time, they must have hoped that they could overturn the deficit at a pulsating Villa Park.
But a late, late goal by PSG left back Nuno Mendes means that the Ligue 1 champions must be favourites to go through to face Arsenal or Real Madrid in the semi-final.
It seemed Unai Emery’s side might even duplicate Liverpool’s smash-and-grab 1-0 first-leg away win in the previous round when Morgan Rogers put them ahead with their first shot at goal after 35 minutes.
But PSG hit straight back as the 19-year-old French sensation Desire Doue levelled only four minutes later.
Khvicha Kvaratskhelia made it 2-1 early in the second half but although Villa worked hard in an attempt to prevent further damage, the balance of the tie was tilted against them by Mendes' effort.
Much has been made of Villa’s capture of Marcus Rashford and Marco Asensio on loan in January, but PSG’s signings of Doue from Rennes and Georgian winger Kvaratskhelia from Napoli last summer for a combined 120m Euros were what counted.
As expected, the home side dominated the early possession, with Vitinha, once on loan at Wolves, pulling the strings in midfield.
Villa hearts were in their mouths when Kvaratskhelia stumbled over Boubacar Kamara’s outstretched leg - VAR ruled there was no offence - and then Ousmane Dembele half-volleyed the loose ball goalwards, Martinez thrusting up an arm to deflect it to safety.
It was 13 minutes before Villa had any breathing space, winning a free kick that PSG goalkeeper Donnarumma flapped at but the home side escaped unscathed.
The danger was that any forays out of their own half left Villa open to counterattacks and Kamara had to be alert to snuff out any potential danger when Nuno Mendes escaped Matty Cash, while Lucas Digne was forced to commit a shuddering foul on Doue to prevent him making progress down the right.
But it seemed to help Villa’s cause that despite their dominance of the ball, the hosts initially sent few players into the penalty area as the ultimate targets of their intricate passing moves.
Villa then took the lead after 35 minutes.
John McGinn won the ball from Nuno Mendes on the right and his cross-field pass found Rashford, who moved it forward to Youri Tielemans, running into the area on the left.
The Belgian might have shot, but instead played the ball across goal for Rogers to tap in his 14th goal of the season.
But watching Villa fans Princes William and George had barely finished celebrating when Doue, who scored the goal against Angers at the weekend that confirmed PSG as Ligue 1 champions, forced his way into the heart of the action.
First the newly-capped France winger took a pass from Dembele and hit a shot that almost squirmed past Martinez, the goalkeeper reaching back to grab the ball just before it could cross the line.
But Villa’s reprieve was short-lived.
On 39 minutes, Doue, on the left this time, cut inside past Rogers and swerved a shot around and over Martinez and in off the crossbar from outside the penalty area.
He almost doubled the lead before the interval, Martinez blocking after the French tyro had nipped past Cash.
But Martinez could no nothing to prevent Paris going ahead. Luis Enrique’s side worked the ball from right back to the left wing, where Kvaratskhelia twisted past Axel Disasi, on at right back for the yellow-carded Cash, and thrashed a shot against the inside of the near post and on into the roof of the net.
Now it was vital that Villa did not let the tie get away from them with the second leg in Birmingham to come, and Martinez saved well from Achraf Hakimi.
A raised flag came to Villa’s rescue when the same player hit an angled shot through Martinez’s legs, and the pressure increased as PSG sent on more talented youngsters in Warren Zaire-Emery and Bradley Barcola.
Villa seemed to have done enough to keep the tie in the balance and even looked for an equaliser but PSG made it 3-1 in added time, Mendes taking a pass from Dembele, rounding Ezri Konsa and finishing past Martinez with his right foot.
Donnarumma 6; Hakimi 6, Beraldo 6, Pacho 7, Nuno Mendes 5; Jaoa Neves 6, Vitinha 7, Ruiz 6 (Zaire-Emery 71); Doue 8 (Barcola 72), Dembele 7, Kvaratskhelia 7.
Martinez 7; Cash 5 (Disasi ht), Konsa 7, Torres 7, Digne 6; Tielemans (Maatsen 79), Kamara; Rogers, McGinn (Onana 79), Ramsey (Asensio 59); Rashford (Watkins 79).
Maurizio Mariani (Italy)
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