Paris Saint-Germain avoided the worst, Tuesday evening in Birmingham. The capital's club almost let the qualification for the Champions League semi-final. And yet it all started well for Luis Enrique's men.
After opening the scoring in the 11th minute of Achraf Hakimi (0-1), PSG had doubled the 27th bet thanks to a magnificent goal from Nuno Mendes (0-2), before a reduction in the Villains score in the 34th (2-1). While the Parisians seemed to master the meeting in the first period, they showed a completely different face on the return from the locker room.
Aston Villa was not far from the feat. By scoring two goals in two minutes, the English fed their hope for qualification until the last moments. Final score: 3-2 for the Birmingham club. However, the Ile-de-France victory in the first leg (3-1) allowed the men of Luis Enrique to validate their ticket for the last square.
PSG aware of its mistakes
At the post-match press conference, the Red and Blue coach was not satisfied with the performance of his players. “We have never been so dominated in my memory, it's a time when the opponent has nothing to lose, they were very intense and superior, there was an incredible atmosphere. When there were 0-2, the villans were KO but there was a phase of loss of balloons, an excess of confidence prohibited at this level, it gives oxygen to the opponent. The end of the first period did not please me, we were not at the level of the Champions League requirements, we conceded animal goals, Aston Villa returned, in two minutes “explained the Spanish technician.
Ousmane DembĂ©lĂ© abounded in the same direction as the Iberian coach, indicating that the Parisian players had shown relaxation. “” You have to be demanding especially in these matches. We went the task difficult even if Aston Villa has put a lot of pressure. They have good players too, but I think we have gone the task very difficult, especially in the second half where we completely Released, ”deplored the former Barça player. Even in difficulty, PSG still assured its qualification in the semi-finals. They will know this evening the identity of his opponent, at the end of the meeting between Real Madrid and Arsenal.
