Paris Saint-Germain came from behind to beat Aston Villa 3-1 on Wednesday night at Parc des Princes, scoring three unanswered goals to take command of the tie ahead of the second leg.
Aston Villa struck first, but Desire Doue pulled PSG level just before halftime, shifting the momentum. From there, the hosts took over. Khvicha Kvaratskhelia gave them the lead early in the second half, and Nuno Mendes added a late goal to put the match out of reach.
While PSG’s quality eventually shined through, questions will likely be asked about Unai Emery’s choices after Villa let their early edge slip away.
Meanwhile, in Spain, Barcelona delivered a statement win of their own, rolling past Borussia Dortmund 4-0 at home to seize full control of their quarterfinal.
Does PSG have shades of Barcelona during Luis Enrique’s tenure?
Over the last few days, there’s been talk about PSG and Barcelona, mainly regarding whether these two teams will reach the Champions League final. Nonetheless, PSG legend Safet Susic spoke to the club’s official website and noted that this squad have shades of Barcelona when Luis Enrique was in charge.
“He reminds me of the Barcelona of ten years ago with Xavi and Iniesta. Luis Enrique has patiently built his team to help it progress. He knows where he wants to go. He always manages to adapt and find the right solution.”
“In attack, for example, there is no undisputed starter, but four or five high-quality players. He finds the right combinations. He has created positive competition between his players.”
“He is a very demanding coach. For example, against Aston Villa, he got angry when his team lost the ball. He doesn’t like to see them lose it too quickly, even if his players were very good at winning back possession.”
