1 week Ago By Eoin Morris, HITC
Aston Villa ’s 3-1 loss to PSG on Wednesday night was as hard a 90 minutes as they will play all season. PSG dominated possession and took the game to Unai Emery ’s men from the first whistle. It was reminiscent of their heated tie with Liverpool a few weeks ago, but this time, no smash-and-grab for the visiting side.
For all their dominance, it was Villa who drew first blood with a well-worked counter against the run of play, finished off by Morgan Rogers . PSG equalised before the break through a stunning strike from teenager Desire Doue , then went ahead early in the second half via Kvicha Kvaratskhelia. Villa held firm until stoppage time, but Nuno Mendes added a late second to give PSG a two-goal cushion heading to Villa Park.
Emiliano Martinez says Villa can beat PSG at home Despite the disappointing result, Emi Martinez shared a post to his Instagram after the game, clearly still optimistic about the tie. A post shared by Emi Martinez (@emi_martinez26) “We can do it at home”, he captioned the photo. Martinez annoyed PSG fans yesterday with his accessorising antics.
The keeper has a history with the French and is not one to shy away from a bit of provocation. Emi Martinez doing Emi Martinez things He's arrived in Paris wearing a hat which has a French cockerel and images of the four trophies he has won with Argentina pic.twitter.
com/dDfN3j7qoZ The message is one of confidence in the Villa dressing room, and their home performances in the Champions League this season serve as justification. We all remember the win over Bayern Munich earlier in the season. In fact, Villa are unbeaten at home in the competition, keeping a clean sheet on all but one occasion.
Though PSG are a formidable side, this tie is far from over. Morgan Rogers echoes same thoughts Rogers is also optimistic about overturning the deficit next week, as he shared on Instagram: A post shared by Morgan Rogers. (@mrogers) “It’s not over”, according to the Englishman.
He was the best player on the pitch for Villa on Wednesday night. Not only for the goal he scored—which was admittedly a tap-in at the back post—but for the energy he gave to an otherwise flat Villa performance. The work they had to put in defensively required 100% effort but resulted in PSG being able to trap Villa in their half for large parts of the game.
Rogers’ ability to turn and carry the ball out provided some much-needed reprieve during key moments. Rogers has been on fire this season, making the £15m fee paid by Aston Villa last January look like one of the bargains of the last few seasons. If Villa are to fight back in this tie, he will be a key part of their effort.
This article first appeared on HITC and was syndicated with permission..
