PSG 3-1 Aston Villa: Analysis

Aston 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 Youri Tielemans playing in Morgan 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.

Emiliano Martinez, taunted throughout by PSG fans, shrugged off the jeers to make several fine 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 Nuno 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.