Aston Villa face an uphill battle after a 3-1 loss to PSG in Paris. Unai Emery’s side fought hard, but a late goal leaves them needing a big performance at Villa Park.
Unbeaten at home in Europe this season, they’ll hope belief and home support can inspire a famous comeback.
Unbeaten at home in Europe this season, they’ll hope belief and home support can inspire a famous comeback.
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00:00Aston Villa have it all to do in their second leg of the Champions League quarter-final
00:06against PSG after falling to a 3-1 defeat in the French capital.
00:11Nuno Emre's side battled bravely and came within moments of leaving the Parc de France
00:16with a manageable one-goal deficit, but Nuno Mendes' stoppage time strike leaves the Premier
00:22League outfit, needing something special at Villa Park next week.
00:28Despite being second best for large spells, Villa were not overawed.
00:33PSG unleashed 28 shots, but the visitors defended with determination, with Esri Konza particularly
00:39impressive until Mendes finally got the better of him in the 92nd minute.
00:45Villa's deep defensive shape, with Boubacar, Kamara and Jacob Ramsey dropping back to compact
00:50a six-man wall, managed to frustrate the hosts for long stretches.
00:54PSG manager Luis Enrique later admitted he was surprised by how defensively Villa had
01:00been set up.
01:02The villains struggled badly to retain possession.
01:05They completed just 18 passes in the opening 16 minutes, but they stayed in the contest.
01:12Before Mendes' late goal, Villa looked set to return home, trailing by just one, a result
01:16that would have kept the tie on a knife edge.
01:19Instead, the late goal leaves them needing to win by two to advance.
01:25Still, there is belief.
01:26Emre's unbeaten home record in the Champions League this season, including a statement win
01:30over Bayern Munich.
01:32With 11 wins, six draws from their last 17 home games in all competitions, Villa Park has become
01:38a fortress.
01:39With this goal, it's still more or less the same, because we will win the next week, I
01:46believe.
01:47Villa Park is our home, getting better than today, and as well collectively try to have
01:54our moment more than we had today.
01:57For Emre, this is personal redemption against Enrique.
02:03Much of his tactical plan worked in Paris.
02:06Now he's counting on his team and the home crowd to turn the tide.
02:10The challenge is steep, but Villa are not done yet.