Khvicha Kvaratskhelia scored a sensational solo goal as Paris Saint-Germain came from behind to defeat Aston Villa 3-1 in the first leg of their Champions League quarter-final on Wednesday night.
Villa struck first at the Parc des Princes through Morgan Rogers in the 35th minute, briefly silencing the home crowd. But PSG equalized swiftly through an excellent finish by 19-year-old Desire Doue, before Kvaratskhelia stole the spotlight just after the break with a moment of brilliance. Nuno Mendes added a third in stoppage time, giving Luis Enrique’s side a commanding two-goal lead heading into next Tuesday’s second leg in Birmingham.
Fresh off eliminating Liverpool in the round of 16, PSG are now in pole position to reach the semi-finals for the second consecutive season, as they continue their pursuit of a first-ever Champions League title.
Aston Villa, backed by Prince William and son George in the Parisian stands, face a massive task at home if they hope to make their first semi-final appearance since winning the tournament in 1982.
Unai Emery may look to draw on history for inspiration—most notably the 2017 clash when his PSG side hammered Barcelona 4-0 in the first leg of a last-16 tie, only to lose 6-1 in a historic comeback engineered by then-Barça manager Luis Enrique.
Enrique, now on the PSG bench, was missing suspended captain Marquinhos and gave Bradley Barcola a rare rest. That opened spots in attack for Kvaratskhelia and Doue, alongside PSG’s top scorer Ousmane Dembélé, who has 32 goals this season.
Despite Villa’s run of seven straight wins, they were pinned back early and relied on keeper Emiliano Martinez to keep them in the game. The World Cup-winning Argentine was loudly booed throughout but stood firm against early efforts from Dembélé.
Against the flow of play, Villa took the lead. John McGinn dispossessed Nuno Mendes deep in Villa territory and initiated a counterattack. Marcus Rashford fed Youri Tielemans, whose low ball across the box found Rogers unmarked for a simple finish—his 14th of the season.
But the lead didn’t last long. PSG responded almost immediately, with Martinez nearly fumbling a Doue strike over his own line. From the resulting corner, PSG worked the ball across the box to Doue, who curled a lovely effort into the far corner to make it 1-1.
Then came the standout moment of the night: just four minutes into the second half, Fabian Ruiz fed Kvaratskhelia on the left. The Georgian winger danced past Axel Disasi with a dazzling display of footwork, then rifled a fierce shot in off the near post to complete the turnaround.
Villa pushed to respond, bringing on several substitutes including Marco Asensio—on loan from PSG—but couldn’t regain control. PSG thought they had a fourth through Achraf Hakimi, but it was ruled out.
In stoppage time, Dembélé slipped a pass through to Mendes, who coolly finished to stretch the lead and put PSG firmly in the driver’s seat heading into the second leg.
