Aston Villa boss Unai Emery remains bullish despite 3-1 defeat against Paris Saint-Germain

PARIS – Aston Villa manager Unai Emery insisted he still believes his side can get the better of Paris Saint-Germain and reach the Champions League semi-finals, despite a 3-1 away defeat in the first leg of their last-eight tie on April 9.

Villa took the lead in the first half at the Parc des Princes through Morgan Rogers – only for the hosts to turn the game on its head, thanks to stunning strikes by Desire Doue and Khvicha Kvaratskhelia either side of the interval.

A Nuno Mendes stoppage-time effort, which gave PSG a two-goal cushion to take to Villa Park for the return leg, appears to leave Emery’s side with a huge task to turn the tie around.

“At 2-1, we were thinking about playing to win in the next match. At 3-1, it is still the same,” Emery said.

“But we are here and enjoying it, and I am very proud of the players. We competed fantastically and we were close to getting a good result. At the end, with this goal, it is still more or less the same.

“Villa Park is our home and, hopefully, there we will be stronger. But of course they are still favourites. They showed their power and individual quality.”

Villa came to the French capital on a streak of seven straight wins in all competitions. The wins have boosted their chances of qualifying for the Champions League again next season and taken them to the FA Cup semi-finals.

However, it will likely now require a special performance in Birmingham on April 15 for them to carry on their run in the Champions League.

“I am not happy, but I am satisfied with the performance of the team,” Emery added.

“It is special for us to be in Paris and playing a Champions League quarter-final. The second leg will be just as difficult at 3-1 as it was at 2-1. We have to win.”

Meanwhile, his opposite number, Luis Enrique, was delighted with his team’s performance as he emphasised that PSG would not sit back and “speculate” in the second leg.

“The game had a bit of everything, but we controlled it,” said Enrique.

“It is always difficult to attack a team who sit in a medium to low block, and they scored on a transition from practically the first time they got into our box.

“But then ‘Des’ got the equaliser and, again in the second half, I thought we deserved to score more goals and win the game. The third goal at the end was the finishing touch.”

The quality of PSG’s goals was exceptional, with Doue’s marvellous strike for the equaliser probably topped by Kvaratskhelia’s remarkable individual effort.

Mendes then rounded goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez to make it 3-1 following a superb Ousmane Dembele pass, capping PSG’s victory in a game which saw them enjoy 68 per cent possession and 30 attempts on goal to Villa’s eight.

“I think the last-minute goal reflects, or rewards, what we did over the 90 minutes,” said Enrique, who won the Champions League with Barcelona in 2015.

“Our objective in Birmingham is clear, to try to win the game. We don’t know how to speculate, or to sit back and defend deep.

“We will try to have the ball and attack more than the opposition. I don’t doubt it will be harder there, but that is what we will try to do.”

PSG will have skipper Marquinhos available again to line up in central defence in the return match after he sat out the first leg due to suspension.

The Parisians, who wrapped up the Ligue 1 title on April 5, now have a free weekend to prepare for the second leg after their scheduled French league game at Nantes was postponed.

Villa, meanwhile, must travel to relegated Southampton on Premier League duty on April 12. AFP