Nuno Mendes struck deep into stoppage time to give Paris St-Germain a significant advantage against Aston Villa in the Champions League quarter-final first leg at Parc des Princes.
Villa looked like they would only need to overturn a one-goal deficit at Villa Park until Mendes stole in to deliver a devastating blow to Unai Emery’s side in the dying seconds.
The visitors had stunned the newly crowned French champions when Morgan Rogers arrived at the far post to turn in Youri Tielemans’ cross from the left after 35 minutes.
That breakaway goal to take the lead delighted an away support that included the Prince of Wales, a Villa supporter since his school days.
The lead only lasted four minutes before PSG drew level, however, with Desire Doue leaving Villa keeper Emiliano Martinez helpless with a magnificent curling drive from 20 yards.
PSG’s brilliant Georgian winger Khvicha Kvaratskhelia troubled Villa all night, and he put them ahead four minutes after the break when he turned substitute Axel Disasi before drilling a powerful shot high past Martinez at his near post.
Villa keeper Martinez, who had few friends in France following his antics at the 2022 World Cup final when Argentina beat Les Bleus in Qatar, made several fine saves on this occasion but was powerless as he was wrong-footed by Mendes in the closing moments.
It made it a bitterly disappointing finale for former PSG boss Emery and his Villa side, who were left despondent as the locals celebrated rapturously.
Villa suffer last-gasp heartbreak
Villa’s fans inside the vast bowl of Parc des Princes were in dreamland when they hit PSG with the perfect sucker punch 10 minutes before half-time, John McGinn’s pinch of possession leading to Tielemans playing in Rogers to tuck home from close range.
Sadly for Villa, the lead was only brief as they were forced to fight a rearguard action against this richly talented PSG side, who are now firm favourites to reach the last four.
Martinez, taunted throughout by PSG fans, shrugged off the jeers to make several fines saves, especially from Ousmane Dembele and Achraf Hakimi.
Villa would have entered four minutes of stoppage time believing a one-goal deficit was eminently retrievable amid a big atmosphere at Villa Park, even though they spent so much of this first leg clinging on.
Yet their task was made much tougher when Mendes pounced in the box to sit Martinez on the floor before shooting into the roof of the net.
Villa players slumped to the turf in agony, perhaps realising what a significant blow had been struck with only seconds left.
It was a tough night for Villa against one of Europe’s leading sides who have grown into this competition, but they battled valiantly in the face of PSG’s superior quality, only to concede for a third time right at the end.
There is still hope for Villa going into that second leg, but it dwindled just a little when Mendes had the final say in this contest.
Superb PSG get deserved reward
Paris St-Germain, their Qatari owners and their supporters must be starting to believe that their holy grail of a Champions League title may finally be in sight.
Under coach Luis Enrique, who won the Champions League with Barcelona in 2015, the Parisians have moved away from the superstar model, which saw Neymar, Kylian Mbappe, and Lionel Messi arrive in Paris.
They have now staked their future on building a team with drive and youthful zest, and in 19-year-old Doue and former Napoli star Kvaratskhelia, they have attacking talents, with Dembele alongside them, who can strike fear into any defence.
The Ligue 1 side mix composed possession with thrilling, pacy attacking that saw them beat Manchester City in the new Champions League first-stage format, then knock out Liverpool over two legs in the last 16, winning a second leg at Anfield after losing at home before going through on penalties.
And they will feel, in this rich vein of form, that they now have a big enough advantage to see them into the semi-final.
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