Dazzling Desire Doue inspires transformed PSG as Aston Villa taught Champions League lesson | OneFootball

Now it is Unai Emery who needs the Remontada. As he knows from bitter experience, Paris Saint-Germain have lost leads in European second legs before, and bigger ones than this. But if Aston Villa’s damage-limitation exercise looked positively inspired for the four, heady minutes when they led and was on the brink of being a qualified success, their finest run in Europe for more than four decades may have been brought to a halt when Nuno Mendes supplied the coup de grace for PSG. After Sergi Roberto’s sixth for Barcelona against Emery’s PSG in 2017, the Spaniard can testify to the difference injury-time goals make.

Eight years on, he tried to sound bullish about Mendes’ goal. “It’s not changing a lot. At 2-1 we were thinking for the next match playing to win at 3-1 it’s still the same, we need to win the next match – [but] not just [by] one goal but two,” he said. But Villa have a colossal task to overturn a deficit next week. Beaten by the youthful brio of Desire Doue and the idiosyncratic virtuosity of Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, any comeback would have to come at the expense of a PSG side staking their claim to be Europe’s finest. “We try to make history in Paris,” said Luis Enrique. “It is an ambitious goal but it is a motivation.”

Previous PSG teams have struggled with that pressure. Maybe Emery’s did. Back in Paris, he had a long 90 minutes from his vantage point at the edge of a vast technical area. Villa’s was a huge effort, built on organisation, determination and the reflexes of Emi Martinez. “We competed fantastically,” said Emery. “I am not very happy but I am still satisfied with the performance of my team.”

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Paris Saint-Germain displayed their attacking talent (Getty Images)

Nevertheless, PSG had 76 percent of possession and 27 shots, which meant three goals felt a slight return for their excellence. Luis Enrique’s side delivered a statement performance, if not a statement scoreline.

It was illuminated by two faces of the new PSG, recent arrivals who scored wonderful solo goals in differing fashions. Doue delivered the long-range strike, Kvaratskhelia the solo run with the emphatic finish. Doue sparkled, with the fearlessness of youth and the skills that suggest stardom beckons. “He has everything to become a great player here in Paris,” said Luis Enrique. Kvaratskhelia scored with explosive brilliance: the skill of an old-fashioned winger allied with the pace of the modern athlete. “An amazing goal,” added his manager. The Georgian’s mesmeric dribbling gives Emery six days to find a way to stop the seemingly unstoppable. Villa tried two different right-backs. Suffice to say, neither subdued the January signing.

He helped PSG to a 17th victory in 18 games. Ligue 1 has been won with consistency, but in Europe, they seem to be peaking in the second half of the season. Maybe Villa are, too. They arrived in the French capital with seven straight wins. When they had the temerity to lead, an eighth briefly felt feasible. It was a glorious counter-attacking goal that justified Emery’s decision to bench the flair player borrowed from PSG, Marco Asensio.

If John McGinn was deemed a more industrious No 10, he bustled in to win the ball from Mendes and picked out Marcus Rashford with a cross-field pass. Lonely at times as a solitary striker, Rashford nonetheless proved intelligent on breaks and fed the overlapping Youri Tielemans. He crossed to give Morgan Rogers a tap-in: 15 months after he was a Championship player, he became a Champions League quarter-final scorer. He ended up defiant in defeat, promising a fightback.

“There's loads of belief in the changing room,” he said. “We have nothing to lose, nobody thought we'd win the tie in the first place. Why not just go for it? We've definitely got the quality to turn things around.”

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Morgan Rogers gave Aston Villa a dream start (REUTERS)

But PSG turned this game around. It is an understatement to say Villa scored against the run of play. Villa’s only other first-half shot was a particularly wayward effort from McGinn. Meanwhile, there was a Parisian assault on the eardrums and the lungs. PSG seek to batter opponents; one in particular.

There were whistles for Martinez, the agent provocateur who has riled the French. The PSG fans directed insults in his native Spanish, just to outline his unpopularity. Martinez began in bullish mood. He made a spectacular early save from Ousmane Dembele, a fine stop from Achraf Hakimi just before the hour. He endured a nervier moment he clawed the ball off his line to stop Doue equalising.

He only delayed the goal for a matter of seconds. Even he was motionless when the teenager curled a shot from the edge of the box into the top corner. Preferred to Bradley Barcola, Doue showed why. “Playing in small spaces, Desire is one of the most decisive players,” said Luis Enrique, figuring the younger player was better equipped to face a deep defence.

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Didier Doue produced a sensational solo goal (AFP via Getty Images)

Doue’s was a glorious goal and yet arguably not even the best of the game. Just Kvaratskhelia’s fourth goal since his move from Napoli was wondrous. Turned one way and then the other by Kvaratskhelia, Axel Disasi was left losing his balance as the Georgian lifted his shot into the roof of the net. It was an unfortunate introduction for Disasi: brought on for the booked Matty Cash, he had a worse fate. It was probably not the homecoming a Parisian imagined. He may have a Georgian on his mind for quite some time.

Maybe Mendes staged his late tribute to his teammate, fooling Ezri Konsa with a turn before also finding the top of the net. PSG had seen a third goal disallowed earlier when one full-back struck, with Hakimi thwarted, but it was a sign of their attacking instincts that the left-back made the injury-time surge into the box.

“The last-minute goal is the cherry on the cake,” added Luis Enrique. It may have brought royal disappointment. The Parc des Princes welcomed a prince. Villa’s aristocratic admirer, Prince William, was on his feet celebrating their goal. Villa were kings of Europe in 1982. PSG are likelier to be in 2025.