Paris Saint-Germain staves off Villa comeback to reach Champions League semifinals

By Canadian Press on April 15, 2025.

BIRMINGHAM, England (AP) — Paris Saint-Germain staved off a gallant fightback by Aston Villa to reach the Champions League semifinals despite a 3-2 loss to the English club on Tuesday.

Holding a 3-1 lead from last week’s quarterfinal first leg, PSG built a four-goal cushion thanks to goals by full backs Achraf Hakimi and Nuno Mendes inside 27 minutes at Villa Park.

Villa, cheered on by Prince William, roared back thanks to a deflected shot before halftime by Youri Tielemans and then goals in a two-minute span from John McGinn and Ezri Konsa by the 57th.

Only a string of fine saves from PSG goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma denied Villa a fourth goal that would have taken the match to extra time.

PSG advanced 5-4 on aggregate to knock out a second Premier League team, after Liverpool in the round of 16. Next up could be another in Arsenal, which leads Real Madrid 3-0 from the first leg.

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AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer

The Associated Press