After a surprise opening from the visitors on Wednesday, Paris Saint-Germain had to work hard to overcome Aston Villa 3-1 in the first leg of their Champions League quarterfinal.
Young Desire Doue and Khvicha Kvaratskhelia quickly turned the tide after Morgan Rogers startled the home fans by giving Unai Emery’s team the lead in the first half.
Nuno Mendes then scored the third goal in extra time to give the newly crowned Ligue 1 champions a well-earned triumph.
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PSG’s domination on the ball was clear as they commanded the tempo with a blend of disciplined possession, technical precision, and their hallmark high pressing under Luis Enrique, the coach who developed Doue into near-stardom.
Villa will need to perform better in the rematch on Tuesday after their seven-game winning streak in all competitions ended.
Ever the villain in France, Emiliano Martinez opened a new tab after being met with a flurry of jeers, whistles, and profanities.
He made an impression by thwarting Vitinha’s low shot and stopping Ousmane Dembele, whose poisonous half-volley appeared destined to clatter the goal.
The Villa keeper was quickly establishing his value with two saves in a row. PSG was swarming with determination, squeezing Villa high up the pitch.
But on their first clear opportunity, Villa scored first. John McGinn pounced after Mendes made a mistake in midfield, nicking the ball and sliding it to Youri Tielemans.
Looking up, the Belgian noticed the opening and blasted a cross into Rogers’ path, who completed it with a neat tap-in.
Doue blasted one in from the edge of the box four minutes later, sending the ball screaming over the grounded Martinez and under the bar to give PSG the equaliser.
The 19-year-old Doue, who netted the game-winning penalty in the shootout against Liverpool in the round of 16, put on another outstanding performance.
After the interval, the home team kept up the pressure, and Kvaratskhelia scored a goal that went in off the inside of the near post to make it 2-1 after an incredible midfield combination.
After a quick counterattack, Achraf Hakimi nearly scored again, but Martinez was able to tip the ball away with a full stretch.
Two minutes into additional time, Mendes scored when he cut inside Ezri Konsa and tapped past Martinez, who left the ground with his head down.
PSG was rejected a penalty claim, while Hakimi’s goal was disallowed for offside.