Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) booked their place in the UEFA Champions League semi-finals on aggregate, despite falling 3-2 to Aston Villa in a thrilling second-leg encounter.
PSG appeared to be cruising after early goals from Achraf Hakimi and Nuno Mendes extended their aggregate lead to 5-1. However, Aston Villa mounted a spirited fightback, with goals from Youri Tielemans, John McGinn, and Ezri Konsa putting them ahead on the night and within touching distance of a dramatic turnaround.
Villa created numerous chances to level the tie, but PSG goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma produced a stellar performance, making several crucial saves to keep the French side ahead on aggregate. A late strike from Ian Maatsen was dramatically cleared off the line, confirming PSG’s progression to the final four.
In the other quarter-final, Barcelona also advanced to the semi-finals with a 5-3 aggregate victory over Borussia Dortmund, despite a 3-1 loss in the second leg.
Guinea’s Serhou Guirassy was the standout performer, scoring a historic hat-trick for Dortmund and becoming the first African player to net a hat-trick in a Champions League quarter-final. He also set a new record as Dortmund’s highest scorer in a single Champions League campaign.
Despite Guirassy’s heroics and relentless pressure from the hosts, an own goal by Ramy Bensebaini restored Barcelona’s aggregate cushion and ultimately proved decisive. The Catalan side held on in the closing stages and will face either Inter or Bayern Munich in the semi-finals.
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