Kvaratskhelia stars in PSG's comeback victory over Villa

Khvicha Kvaratskhelia delivered a moment of brilliance as Paris Saint-Germain fought back to defeat Aston Villa 3-1 in the first leg of their Champions League quarter-final at the Parc des Princes on 9 April 2025.

Villa had taken a surprise lead in the 35th minute through Morgan Rogers, silencing the home crowd. However, PSG quickly equalised with a fine strike from Desire Doue, setting the stage for a thrilling second half. Kvaratskhelia then stole the show with a stunning goal four minutes after the break, before Nuno Mendes added a crucial third in stoppage time, giving PSG a significant two-goal advantage to take into the second leg in Birmingham next Tuesday.

Having eliminated Liverpool in the previous round, Luis Enrique's PSG now hold a strong position to reach the semi-finals for the second consecutive season.

Villa, backed by Prince William and his son George in the Paris crowd, will need to produce a memorable performance in the return leg if they are to reach the semi-finals of Europe's elite competition for the first time since lifting the trophy in 1982.

PSG dominated possession and spent most of the first half in Villa's half, with Ousmane Dembele creating early danger. The French forward saw his sizzling strike tipped over the bar by Villa goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez, who was jeered by the home crowd throughout the match.

However, it was Villa who took a surprise lead in the 35th minute. Captain John McGinn won the ball from Nuno Mendes just inside the Villa half and picked out Marcus Rashford on the left. Rashford found Youri Tielemans, whose cross into the box left Rogers with an easy tap-in for his 14th goal of the season.

PSG responded swiftly, with Desire Doue almost scoring from a shot that Martinez nearly fumbled into his own net. However, the equaliser came from the resulting corner. The ball was worked from right to left, where Doue stepped forward and curled a fine shot past Martinez into the far corner to make it 1-1.

The second half saw Kvaratskhelia take centre stage. Four minutes after the break, he put PSG ahead with a dazzling solo effort. Fabian Ruiz released the Georgian winger on the left, and Kvaratskhelia advanced into the box before mesmerising Villa defender Axel Disasi with a clever move. He then fired a powerful shot past Martinez into the near post, putting PSG 2-1 up.

Villa attempted to respond by making several substitutions, including bringing on former PSG player Marco Asensio. However, PSG continued to dominate, with Dembele having a goal disallowed for offside and Achraf Hakimi also coming close with a shot.

As Villa pushed forward in search of an equaliser, PSG sealed the win in stoppage time. Dembele released Mendes, who calmly finished to make it 3-1, giving the home side a commanding two-goal lead to take to Villa Park next week.