Aston Villa players react as wrong anthem heard before PSG thriller in Champions League

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·15 April 2025

Aston Villa players react as wrong anthem heard before PSG thriller in Champions League

Pulsating quarter-final second-leg tie at Villa Park was initially preceded by the Europa League theme in blunder

The wrong Uefa anthem was accidentally played ahead of Aston Villa’s clash with Paris Saint-Germain on Tuesday night.

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Unai Emery’s side welcomed the reigning French champions to Villa Park for the second leg of their Champions League quarter-final tie, looking to overturn a daunting 3-1 deficit and reach the last four.

Villa would eventually mount an inspired comeback attempt against PSG, who scored twice in the first half an hour through Achraf Hakimi and Nuno Mendes, to just about negate goals later scored by Youri Tielemans, John McGinn and Ezri Konsa. Several chances would go begging as Villa - 3-2 winners on the night - chased another that would level the tie 5-5 on aggregate and force extra time, being denied by Gianluigi Donnarumma several times.

While the on-pitch action would have been exceedingly stressful for both sets of fans, there was at least a moment of levity before kick-off. As the two sides lined up ahead of the game, the atmosphere in the stadium was peaking. Supporters were treated to a light show, a pyrotechnic display and colossal tifos welcoming PSG to Villa Park.

PSG’s players also looked equally amused and bemused over the pre-match anthem error at Villa Park

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But the occasion was dampened somewhat when the wrong anthem was erroneously played, the iconic Champions League theme making way for the version used in the Europa and Conference League competitions, with amused players exchanging awkward looks as they waited for the mistake to be corrected.

The right anthem was later played as captains John McGinn and Marquinhos conducted the pre-match coin toss.

In hindsight, some may read the gaffe as a moment of dramatic foreshadowing, as Villa currently sit seventh in the Premier League table and could appear in the Europa League next season, a possibility made all the more credible now they have been eliminated from the Champions League.