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By HARRY BAMFORTH and IAN LADYMAN AT PARC DES PRINCES and TOM COLLOMOSSE AT PARC DES PRINCES Published: 03: 00 AEST, 10 April 2025 | Updated: 06: 00 AEST, 10 April 2025 48 View comments Follow Mail Sport's live blog for the latest score, team news and updates as PSG welcome Aston Villa to Parc des Princes in the Champions League plus updates from Barcelona vs Borussia Dortmund.   Do you want to know what Doue means in French? Well, it means gift and my word, that is exactly what the young lad has just given with his equaliser. PSG needed a quick response after going behind, and Doue provided it with an absolute stunner. Just watch and enjoy. By Tom Collomosse At Parc Des Princes By Ian Ladyman At Parc Des Princes And breathe. .. What an end to the half that was, you just couldn't take your eyes off of it. Morgan Rogers sprung it into life as he netted the opener against the run of play before Desire Doue banged home a near-instant response. PSG were dominant for a lot of that 45, but Villa caused a series of problems on the counter as they grew in confidence. The first leg hangs in the balance. By Ian Ladyman At Parc Des Princes Desire Doue is at it again. The board goes up to show there are two minutes of added time, and seconds into it, Doue wins the ball and goes on another run. He dances through the Aston Villa midfield and has yet another pop, but this one is blocked. Doue is a joke, what a player. By Ian Ladyman At Parc Des Princes Desire Doue is just daft; he really is. That's daft in a good way; he's such a pleasure to watch. The youngster tries a repeat of his goal as he cuts inside and lets fly yet again. This time, though, Emi Martinez is equal to the effort and palms the ball way from danger. This kid is special. .. By Ian Ladyman At Parc Des Princes My word, this game has come to life. Moments before the equaliser, Emi Martienz almost spilled the ball into his own net but just about stopped it. Now, Aston Villa are on the hunt for another, and Marcus Rashford races forward and causes chaos, but his cross is hooked away. You can't keep your eyes off this chaos. By Ian Ladyman At Parc Des Princes THAT IS A WORLDIE! Desire Doue, take a bow. The youngster brings PSG level with an absolute pearler. The teenage sensation cuts inside off the left and bends one right into the top bins from outside the area. Aston Villa were not ahead for long; what a response. By Ian Ladyman At Parc Des Princes My, my, my. .. I didn't see that coming. We always say that you have to take your chances when they come, and boy have Aston Villa done that. It was a great goal, and those Villa fans went absolutely bananas over in the corner. Just what they needed, right when they needed it. OUT OF NOWHERE! Aston Villa have hardly had a sniff of the ball, but somehow, they lead here in Paris. Wow. Morgan Rogers finishes the move, but all the praise has to go to John Mc Ginn, who wins the ball and starts the counter. The Villa skipper then spreads it out wide before Youri Tielemans slides the ball across the box for Rogers to tap home. Now, that puts the cat amongst the pigeons. I feel for Marcus Rashford. This has been such a lonely half for him. He is just stranded up there on his own and barely gets a sniff of the ball. You know, like the mate that doesn't track back in your local five-a-side. In this game, though, Rashford isn't being lazy; his team-mates just aren't getting the ball to him. I mean, they are hardly touching it themselves. When he does get the ball, he needs to make it count. The way PSG race back when Aston Villa break is just crazy. One second, they seemingly have all of their players around the villa box, but as soon as they lose it, they magically appear at the other end. Marcus Rashford is trying his hardest to get Villa up the pitch, but he just can't find much space to fashion any opportunities. This is exactly like the Liverpool game here. Aston Villa just can't get out here. Emi Martinez does well to punch away a dangerous cross, and you think that Villa can break. But nope, Nuno Mendes breezes past John Mc Ginn as if he isn't there to pick up the ball and start another wave of attack. This is just brutal. PSG's control of games is unparalleled. Well, that didn't last long. Almost as soon as I clicked send on that last post, PSG knocked the ball back of the visitors and started to cause trouble. Vitinha does well to wriggle into space just outside the area and sends in a Hail Mary shot from 25 yards out. It's a decent effort, but Emi Martinez watches it sail over. Oh my word, Aston Villa have the ball. .. The visitors actually manage to keep it for more than 10 seconds; this is crazy. OK, now you may sense an element of sarcasm there, but that is genuinely one of the first times that Villa have strung a few passes together. They need some time on the ball. PSG just love a long shot, don't they? I remember them pinging them in from all directions against Liverpool here. They just love having a pop from miles out. Well, Achraf Hakimi has decided to have a go from 30 yards here, and Emi Martinez gobbles it up just like I gobble up cereal (I love it). Easy for the Argentine. That's a bit harsh, come on. Matty Cash is given a yellow card for halting Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, but he only puts a slight hand on his shoulder. Ezri Konsa is a lucky boy, mind. If Cash hadn't done that, the Georgian would have gone through after pinching the ball off of the centre-half. It's not been the best of starts from Villa. What is Achraf Hakimi complaining about? The PSG full-back is having a right moan after thinking his side should have a corner, but he couldn't be more wrong. Hakimi is clipped through down the right, but his cross hits Emi Martinez at point-blank range before bouncing back off of his leg and going behind. The referee gives the goal kick, and he just goes mental. Just calm down. John Mc Ginn, that is brilliant. Aston Villa have been under the cosh, and the captain decides he has had enough. He needs a breather. He picks up the ball and drives forward before draining a foul. It finally gives the visitors some respite. That is just what Villa needed. .. which says everything. By Tom Collomosse At Parc Des Princes Guys, I can already tell this is going to be a busy night for me. Every time I start to type one post, PSG start another wave of attack on the Aston Villa goal. This is relentless. I got hand cramps after their game against Liverpool last month, and I just know it's going to happen again. Wish me luck. .. This is an absolute onslaught from PSG, my word. The start here is almost identical to how they started here against Liverpool, they are all over Villa like a rash. I said that Emi Martinez was going to be busy, and he has to make his second save inside seven minutes to deny Nuno mendes. PSG want a penalty as Khvicha Kvaratskhelia goes down in the area, but nothing is given, and Mendes lashes a half volley toward goal. He gets a hold of it, but Martinez palms the ball away. Jeez, this could be a long night for Aston Villa. PSG are putting all of the pressure on in these early moments; they have Aston Villa pinned back already. Vitinha decides to just have a crack after a lovely bit of play, and he forces Emi Martinez into his first save of the night. The Argentine is going to be one busy boy this evening. Ousmane Dembele, that is seriously filthy. He takes a pass in the middle of the park perfectly before driving forward, and he has Aston Villa backpedalling. But just as he goes to pull the trigger, the forward slips, and his strike goes miles over the bar. There are then a bunch of boos for Emi Martinez as he picks up the ball to take a goal kick. What a surprise, eh? I bet many of those Aston Villa have never played in an atmosphere like this. It's mental over in Paris. There are a chorus of jeers as Aston Villa get this game underway; they are so, so loud. Can Villa cope with their toughest test yet> By Ian Ladyman At Parc Des Princes My word, what an atmosphere. The pre-match show in Paris here is really getting the mood as fire bursts in the air partnered by dramatic music. Even I am pumped up, so just imagine how those players feel. You guys know how much I have come to love pre-match light shows - which didn't use to be the case - and this is right up there. As the players come out of the tunnel they enter a cauldron of noise; the PSG fans are on top form as they always are. I can hardly hear myself think right now. There is a massive tifo with a skull at one end. It's scary, but impressive. These fans are certainly intimidating while also being magnificent. A strange but class mix. They then mainly turn silent for the Champions League anthem before bellowing out some chants once again. This has the feeling of a classic; it just does. Unai Emery, Aston Villa boss, speaking to TNT Sports: By Ian Ladyman At Parc Des Princes By Tom Collomosse At Parc Des Princes How are the nerves, Villans? The warm-ups are just being wrapped up, and there are just 15 minutes until that whistle is blown. I bet you are bricking it. We all know that Prince William is, and I imagine his feelings are echoed by all of the Villa fans in that stadium and beyond. It's the club's biggest match for at least two decades or longer. Not much longer to wait now. .. Prince William, speaking on TNT Sports: Oh no, who saw this coming? I mean, come on. I'm pretty sure we all expected Emi Martinez to be booed by the PSG fans at some point tonight. I even called that it would happen in the warm-up earlier. He's a pantomime villain, and just as Alan Hutton says, Martinez loves it. Those boos won't bother him one bit. I imagine he will get them a lot during the 90 minutes, too. Alan Hutton, former Aston Villa defender, on TNT Sports: Aston Villa fans, you may want to avoid this post. They have never won away to a French opponent in European competition, failing in their five attempts. Their most away to teams from one nation without winning. The Villans have never won away to a French opponent in European competition, failing in their five attempts. Their most away to teams from one nation without winning. The last two have both been defeats under Unai Emery, losing at Lille in April 2024 and at Monaco in January this year. All bad runs have to end at some point, though, right? Tonight is a special match for Luis Enrique in more ways than one. It's the 100th game that the Spaniard will be in the dugout for the French champions, which is a little crazy. Where does the time go? This is arguably one of the biggest of that 100, if not THE biggest. He will want to mark the milestone in style. .. By Tom Collomosse At Parc Des Princes By Ian Ladyman At Parc Des Princes Emi Martinez just loves the drama, doesn't he? I have a feeling that when he comes out to warm-up in a few minutes, he won't get the warmest reception. Why is that, I hear you ask? Well, his antics in Argentina's World Cup final win over France may have something to do with it. He didn't exactly help himself with the cap he wore on his flight to the French capital either, but I doubt he cares. Want to read more on why PSG will be desperate to get one over Martinez? Then, look no further. Click below to read more: A penny for the thoughts of Unai Emery right now. He will certainly try and hide it, but I'm pretty sure he will be bricking it as he comes up against his former employers tonight. It is seven years since the Spaniard left the Parc des Princes, I know, time has flown by. Tonight, he returns to the place he probably doesn't look back on most fondly. Emery's tenure at PSG is overshadowed by one match, and one match only. That's right, the 6-1 embarrassment at Barcelona, who were then managed by Luis Enrique. We all know what happened; it is one of the most mental nights in football history. everybody knows where they were for it - an unforgettable night. The Spaniard has had to put in a lot of hard work to come back from that fateful night and earn his credit back. Well, that is what he has done, and his reputation is arguably better than ever. Can he come full circle and create history with Aston Villa on his former patch? We will have to wait and see. .. By Tom Collomosse At Parc Des Princes Didi Hamann, former Liverpool midfielder, speaking to Instant Casino: By Tom Collomosse At Parc Des Princes We simply have to talk about Ousmane Dembele, don't we? The PSG forward has been the most dangerous player in the whole of Europe so far this year. Yes, even over Mohamed Salah. The Frenchman has been on fire since the clock struck midnight on New Year's Eve. Dembele is a man transformed. He started the season off so poorly but has just exploded; it's quite crazy. He is now the poster boy of Paris; every fan loves him. He netted the all-important goal at Anfield in the last round and absolutely terrorised the Liverpool backline across the two legs. He is a man full of confidence. His 32 goals this season don't justify just how good he has been, which is mental to say. .. but it's true. If I were Villa, I would be a tad worried about this lad tonight. Just look at him; he means business tonight. Can he deliver the goods again? PSG never release their graphic in time, and I really can't be bothered to wait for it today. There are no real shocks here as we already knew that Marquinhos was unavailable tonight through suspension. The PSG skipper is replaced by Lucas Beraldo at the back, while Desire Doue gets the nod over Bradley Barcola. Not a bad team, eh? PSG starting XI: Donnarumma, Hakimi (c), Lucas Beraldo, Pacho, Nuno Mendes, Joao Neves, Vitinha, Fabian Ruiz, Doue, Dembele, Kvaratskhelia. By Tom Collomosse At Parc Des Princes Now, this is what you call a big, big call. Unai Emery has relied on Ollie Watkins for so long. Even when Jhon Duran was banging them in earlier this season, Watkins would always start the big games. Well, his dip in form has just gone on for too long. While Watkins has struggled, Rashford has just continued to grow in confidence in that Villa shirt. He is on fire at the moment; the forward has seven goal involvements since he joined in January. And well, his form has forced Emery's hand and the Spaniard has decided to go with Rashford here in Paris, a place he has history. Can he repay the boss? We have our answer. .. Marco Asensio is indeed dropped to the bench against his parent club, however, there is a start for Marcus Rashford. The Man United loanee is selected ahead of Ollie Watkins, who has been off the boil lately. He is one of eight changes from the side that beat Nottingham Forest at the weekend. Emi Martinez, Youri Tielemans, and Morgan Rogers are the only survivors. By Tom Collomosse At Parc Des Princes One of the big storylines tonight is all around Marco Asensio. In the Premier League, loanees are forbidden to play against their parent clubs. It's a stupid rule that has been around for what feels like forever. An example at the weekend was that Alex Moreno could not play for Nottingham Forest at Aston Villa because he is on loan from the Birmingham-based club. Silly, right? If you don't want the player, then why stop them from playing against you? You gave them away, so let them show you what they are all about. Well, luckily for Villa, that's not the case in Europe. Asensio is eligible to play tonight against the side that Unai Emery's side are loaning him from. The question is, though, will Emery start the Spaniard? Asensio has been banging the goals in, but he hardly gets a go in the big games from the gun. He started at the weekend in a much-changed side, so it wouldn't be farfetched to expect him to be on the bench this evening. Or will Emery let him show PSG what they are missing? We will find out very soon. Now it's Aston Villa's turn. Their return to Europe's premier competition could not have gone much better; let's be honest. It's been a pretty mad journey for Unai Emery's side. A superb group phase saw them qualify for the round of 16 automatically - nobody saw that coming. It set up a tie with Club Brugge, and I'll be honest, I wasn't sure they would get through it. Villa were coming off the back of a bad run of form and had lost to the Belgian side in the group phase. And, well, they made me look silly. The Villans dismantled Brugge over two legs, netting six and cruising into the last eight. It was uber-impressive and really kickstarted this winning run in style. It's led them here to Paris, which is alien territory for Unai Emery's side. This is a different ball game to Brugge. Will they be able to handle it? Right, shall we take a look at how PSG got here, then? I think we should. The French champions were given arguably the toughest fixture possible in the round of 16 as they were paired against Liverpool, who were favourites to win the lot at the time (how times have changed). For all money, it looked like Liverpool would be taking their place in the last eight after the robbery they got away with in Paris in the first leg, as Harvey Elliott scored the only goal after what had been one-way traffic all night. I am still unsure how the Reds won that game. Anyway, the second leg was on Merseyside, and PSG had a lot of work to do. With Anfield bringing the atmosphere, it just felt like the perfect backdrop for Arne's Slot machine to roll on. The Reds came flying out of the traps, too. They had PSG on the ropes early, and it felt like only a matter of time. But then came the suckerpunch. 12 minutes in, Ousmane Dembele tapped home to level the tie, and it was all downhill from there. Liverpool huffed, and they puffed, but they just couldn't blow that PSG defence down no matter how hard they tried. In a flash, the 90 minutes were up, then the 120 minutes were up, and penalties beckoned for the six-time champions. Normally, you can bank on this Liverpool side delivering when it comes to spot-kicks, but that was certainly not the case today. Gigi Donnarumma was the hero of the hour as he saved both Darwin Nunez and Curtis Jones' penalties before Desire Doue netted PSG's fourth to knock out Liverpool. Les Parisiens had done it; they had knocked the favourites out on their own patch. Not many saw it coming. But the thing is, they deserved it. They played Liverpool off the park for the majority of the 210 minutes across the two legs. Now, here they are. can they do the same to Aston Villa? Ahhhh, this is much better. .. Luckily, last night's fights did not seemingly bleed into today. All the pictures that are coming in are of Aston Villa fans enjoying themselves in the city of love. It has been the perfect day in Paris; there has hardly been a cloud in the sky all day. Just look at how lovely it is. I'm sure most Villa fans have been having a great trip! Now, this is not what we wanted to see. .. I have said it before, and I will say it again: I just don't get the aggression that is ingrained in football fan culture. Why do they have to fight? What is the point? Well, last night, shocking footage of Aston Villa fans and PSG fans having an old-fashioned scrap emerged, and it's not pretty. Punches and chairs were thrown between the supporters on the streets of Paris. Stools were being used as weapons and launched in all directions, while punches were thrown in violent scenes. It was pure chaos. It is still unclear whether the melee was pre-meditated or what cause the mayhem in the first place. Either way, it's not nice to see. It has certainly overshadowed a lot of the build-up to this game. By Tom Collomosse At Parc Des Princes Luis Enrique, PSG boss, speaking on Tuesday: Are PSG the best team in Europe? It's a question I have been asking myself ever since the turn of the year as they tear through teams in both France and Europe with ease. I can't stop thinking about it. At first, I thought Liverpool were, but their recent form paired with the fact they were knocked out by PSG has signalled that they most likely aren't. Then there was Real Madrid, but last night has pretty much dispelled any theory that they are the best at this moment in time. My word, they were terrible. That leaves PSG, they surely are the best in Europe. Luis Enrique's side have won 25 of their last 27 matches and have already swept up Ligue 1 in early April. They are on absolute flames right now. They used to be known as a team of individuals who would always fail when they needed to work as a team. Well, that's not what they are anymore. Luis Enrique has changed the narrative. Kylian Mbappe, Lionel Messi, and Neymar Jnr may all be gone, but the French side are miles better for it. That feels weird to write, but just hear me out. Their work on the ball is exceptional. I mean, they have it for what feels like 90 per cent of the time, as was the case against even Liverpool. But it's their work off the ball that is just as impressive. They hunt down the opposition like a pack of wolves. Villa could be in for a long night. .. Unai Emery, Aston Villa boss, speaking on Tuesday: It doesn't get much bigger than this for Aston Villa, does it? Eight years ago, if you were to tell a Villa fan that they would be in the quarter-finals of the Champions League and preparing to face PSG as soon as 2025, they would have just laughed at you. In 2017, the Villans were scrambling to try and get out of the Championship with John Terry as captain and a young Jack Grealish leading the way. Back then, even the most optimistic of supporters would not have predicted Villa's rise to European prominence. Nobody did. But here we are. Unai Emery's underdogs are in Paris, preparing to face a PSG side that knocked out the best team that the Premier League has to offer, Liverpool, in the round of 16. It's fair to say that not many of us are expecting Villa to come away from the Parc des Princes with an advantage after the first leg, isn't it? It will take something monumental for the West Midlanders to leave Paris unscathed. However, they are on a seven-match win streak and are about as confident as they could possibly be coming into this match. Emery's side certainly have players that can cause the Parisians problems; it's not like this isn't going to be a game. On their day, Villa can hurt anybody. Can they mount a shock in the French capital? Paris is not the only place where our attention will be this evening, that is for certain. There is also another big Champions League quarter-final, and it takes place over in Spain. Barcelona take on last year's finalists Borussia Dortmund in a repeat of what was a mental group phase game, in which the Catalans edged a five-goal thriller. So, with that being said, let's look at the full schedule: Right, we simply have to talk about what happened last night. I have heard Arsenal fans describe it as the 'best night of their lives', or even the 'greatest game they have ever seen'. Yep, it was that mental. Rival fans gave the Gunners no chance against Real Madrid, as did much of the media. Heck, I thought they could maybe get a draw or scrape a win, but I never anticipated what was to come. Arsenal didn't just beat Los Blancos; they taught them a lesson. Mikel Arteta's side were better in all departments. They battered them and easily could have scored six. In the end, the three they got could just be enough to send them into the semi-finals for the first time in 16 years. Declan Rice started the rout off with one of the best free-kicks I have ever witnessed. From comfortably 25 yards out, maybe even 30, he whipped the ball around the wall - not over it - and it somehow bent back in to hit the back of the net. 12 minutes later, he scored a better one. I'm not joking; it was mental. Rice stepped over the free-kick and proceeded to put it about as top bins as is physically possible, It was upper echelon. Top corner. or whatever you want to call it. Sensational. I haven't been that well recently and had lost my voice, but even that second free-kick managed to get a noise out of me while I lay on the sofa trying to recover. Don't worry, I am feeling better now and I think that second-half display had something to do with it. Mikel Merino then added a third 15 minutes from time with a lovely low bending finish, and the historic night was complete. The Emirates was in disbelief while limbs took over all corners of the ground. So yeah, it's going to be a hard act to follow for Aston Villa and PSG - almost impossible. Well, unless they play out an eight-goal thriller or something. Meanwhile, Inter Milan waltzed away from Bayern Munich with a one-goal advantage after a superb 2-1 victory at the Allianz Arena. I told you, the Champions League always delivers. By Harry Bamforth Have we all recovered from last night yet? Honestly, what happened at the Emirates last night was just bonkers; I'm pretty sure nobody saw it coming. I haven't been able to get those free-kicks out of my head all day. How did Declan Rice do it? Anyway, that was yesterday's news, we need to focus on tonight. Aston Villa are in Paris for arguably their biggest match this century. For the first time in 42 years, they find themselves in a European Cup quarter-final. They could not have been given a much tougher opponent; let's be real. They face PSG, who are European football's most in-form side at the moment. Oh yeah, and the first leg is at the Parc des Princes. The Champions League always delivers belters and I just know that this evening is going to be no different. Strap yourselves in and enjoy what is going to be one hell of a ride. It's time to pull that lever and get this started! My God, this PSG side is good.

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