Paris Saint Germain showcased their attacking flair and resilience on Wednesday, securing a 3-1 victory over Aston Villa in the first leg of their UEFA Champions League quarter-final clash at the Parc des Princes.
The French champions fought back from an early deficit to take a commanding lead into the second leg, leaving Aston Villa with a steep challenge ahead.
The match began with a shock as Aston Villa’s Morgan Rogers capitalized on a well-constructed counter-attack in the 35th minute, silencing the Parisian crowd with a tap-in from Youri Tielemans’ precise cross.
After the break, PSG seized control with a moment of magic from Khvicha Kvaratskhelia. The winger, dubbed produced a wonder goal in the 49th minute, dribbling past a defender and unleashing an unstoppable strike into the near-post top corner past Emiliano Martínez.
The decisive blow came in stoppage time when Nuno Mendes latched onto a clever through ball. Cutting inside, the left-back finished with a striker’s precision, drilling the ball into the roof of the net to make it 3-1.
The goal capped a scintillating performance from PSG, who fired off 29 shots compared to Villa’s seven, underlining their superiority on the night.