Paris Saint-Germain 3 – 1 Aston Villa
Aston Villa goalkeeper Emiliano Martínez, a World Cup winner, couldn’t play the savior at PSG’s home turf.
He took to the pitch with hair dyed in the colors of Argentina’s flag—perhaps a tribute to the glory of Lusail in 2022. But this time, unlike that famous final, he couldn’t become the hero. He couldn’t inspire a win like he did for Argentina. Instead, PSG hit the net three times past him, and Villa left Paris empty-handed.
In the first leg of the UEFA Champions League quarter-finals on Wednesday night, PSG took a solid step toward the semi-finals with a 3-1 win over Aston Villa.
Morgan Rogers had initially given the visitors the lead, but PSG responded in style with goals from Désiré Doué, Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, and Nuno Mendes.
Martínez’s showdown with PSG had an extra layer of narrative, given his heroics in the 2022 World Cup final against France—something PSG fans hadn’t forgotten. Back then, he was the villain for French fans; this time in Paris, the boos echoed louder, but the result flipped—he was on the losing side.
PSG dominated possession from the kickoff and started testing Martínez early. In the 8th minute, he blocked a rocket from Ousmane Dembélé, then calmly collected a 35-yard effort from PSG captain Achraf Hakimi.
Despite PSG’s early pressure, it was Villa who struck first in the 35th minute with a sharp counterattack. John McGinn robbed a PSG midfielder in the center of the park, passed it to Marcus Rashford, who then found Youri Tielemans. Tielemans whipped in a low cross, and Morgan Rogers slotted it home with a classy finish—silencing the Parc des Princes.
But Villa’s joy was short-lived. Doué leveled the score shortly after with a stunning curling effort from the left edge of the box, leaving Martínez rooted to the spot.
Earlier, Martínez narrowly avoided scoring an own goal himself. PSG controlled 74% of possession in the first half, firing 15 shots—six on target—and finally breached Villa’s goal once. Villa, meanwhile, managed just two attempts, but made one count.
The second half saw PSG intensify their pressure. In the 49th minute, Kvaratskhelia made it 2-1 with a powerful near-post strike that Martínez couldn’t stop despite being in position.
Hakimi tried to extend the lead in the 58th minute, but Martínez stood firm. Villa’s best chance of the half came in the 72nd minute, but Rogers’ effort was denied by Gianluigi Donnarumma.
In injury time, PSG sealed the win. Mendes latched onto a through ball, danced past both a defender and Martínez, and calmly tucked the ball into the net.
The two sides will meet again next Wednesday for the second leg, this time at Villa Park.
