Even though PSG lost the second leg, coach Luis Enrique believes his team fully deserved the win across both legs.
From a dominant 5-1 aggregate lead to a nail-biting 5-4 finish — by the 57th minute, the match had turned into a thriller. Aston Villa pushed hard to change the story, but PSG managed to hold their ground, thanks to the heroic efforts of goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma and a resilient defensive line. Despite the defeat, Enrique was far from disappointed. In his eyes, PSG has the best squad in the world.
The intense battle in the Champions League quarterfinals saw PSG reach the last four. After winning 3-1 at home in the first leg, the French side added two more goals within the first 27 minutes of the second leg at Villa Park. At that point, it looked like the match was heading for a one-sided conclusion. But Aston Villa wasn’t ready to go down without a fight — they struck back with three goals of their own.
With over 30 minutes still to play, Villa dared to dream. But Donnarumma stood tall. The Italian keeper put in a stellar second-half performance, denying Villa again and again. PSG, holding onto their slim 5-4 aggregate lead, secured a place in the semifinals.
After the match, coach Luis Enrique was asked about Donnarumma’s performance. But he chose to shine a light on the entire team.
“Not just the goalkeeper — I think my entire squad is the best in the world. A club like PSG has so many quality players.”
“If you take both legs into account, the win was definitely deserved… I’m very happy because we were able to give our fans another semifinal.”
Alongside his pride in his own team’s performance, Enrique also gave credit to the opponents for their strong fightback.
“We started the match very well, scored two great goals, and tried to take advantage of the space.”
“But let’s not forget, this is the Champions League, and the level of competition is very high. In the second half, Aston Villa came out with incredible intensity. Having lost the first leg and fallen further behind early in this one, they had nothing to lose. And they played like it.”
