After surviving the ferocious battle of the Villa, PSG Edge
The sparkle of the first half, the second half
Paris Saint-Germain held back the thrilling Aston Villa comeback to advance to the Champions League semi-finals despite a dramatic 3-2 defeat at Birmingham. The early goals of Achraf Hakimi and Nuno Mendes appeared to have killed the tie in 30 minutes, in addition to the cushions for the PSG’s 3-1 First Congress. However, Villa’s relentless late surge held the French giant on the ropes.
Youri Tielemans gave the host hope just before the break, and then two quick fire strikes from John McGinn and Ezri Konsa brought the villa to an emotional distance during historic upset. PSG relied on Gianluigi Donnarumma’s heroic to rattle, retreat, and avoid another infamous Champions League meltdown.
Luis Enrique’s tactical gambling paid off early, including starting Bradley Barcola from Desire Doue, but the second half revealed lingering frailty. Despite the nervous finish, PSG made its first European crown dreams live on, booking back-to-back semi-final appearances.
The European revival of the villa ends in pain
Unai Emery’s men may have bowed, but after offering a performance full of heart, strength and tactical courage, they left their heads high. The Villa Park bounced off, and the energy reached a heated pitch amid Prince William and his son George, avid home fans.
Surprising Emery’s Marcus Rashford with a loan from Manchester United still changed the tie further up until now as England led to Consas’ goals and constant threats. Despite their best efforts, the Villas were unable to find the one goal needed to force extra time, and their amazing European run ended quickly in the Final Four.
Still, for the first time since 1983, the campaign marked a monumental leap.
Barcelona is struggling but sneaks into the semi-finals
Dortmund controls, but Barça escapes
Barcelona’s unbeaten run in 2025 was snapped in a brutal way in a 3-1 defeat at the hands of Borussia Dortmund, but the 5-3 tally was enough to bring them into the Champions League semi-finals. Hansi Flick’s side was the second best of the night, overrunning by Dortmund’s high Octanian press and relentless energy at Signal Iduna Park.
Serhou Guirassy attacked a stunning hat trick, starting with an early penalty after Wojciech Szczesny tainted Pascal Gross. The second half corner brought him his second, and a defensive error from Ronald Araujo gave him the third. Dortmund’s attack forced almost an extra time, but his lucky goal by Ramie Bensbaini from Fermin Lopez’s cross proved to be a desperately needed lifeline Barcelona.
Barca never found a rhythm without Pedri in the starting XI. In the middle of the second half, only his introduction recovered gently in the midst of the chaos.
Lessons learned in the cauldron
The match exposed the cracks to Barca’s calm and under pressure control. The lack of their young midfield maestro was glaring, and the Front 3 provided one of the poorest displays of the season. Flick’s side will rely on Szczesny to bail them out several times and feel lucky to be in the tournament.
Julian Blunt ruled out a late goal due to offside, which could have been tied to the brink, but Barcelona ultimately held it. Despite the defeat, the larger picture remains bright. The Catalan has returned to the European Elite 4 for the first time in six years, shooting a red spot in the semi-finals.
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