The Argentine goalkeeper's costly error left the hosts with a mountain to climb that they almost overcame against the French champions
Aston Villa's stunning comeback fell just short as they beat Paris Saint-Germain 3-2 on Tuesday but lost their quarter-final tie 5-4 on aggregate in a Champions League classic.
Villa's efforts to overturn a 3-1 first-leg deficit got off to a poor start when Achraf Hakimi pounced on a mix-up between Emi Martinez and Pau Torres in the 11th minute, and the tie seemed out of reach when Nuno Mendes fired a well-hit shot in off the post just before the half-hour mark as the French champions bypassed Villa's press with ease.
The Villans were given hope 11 minutes before the break when Youri Tielemans' shot took a cruel deflection off Willian Pacho to beat Gianluigi Donnarumma, and they got a further spark early in the second period when captain John McGinn drove more than 40 yards with the ball and then curled an effort, which took another slight deflection off Pacho, into the top corner.
The roof nearly lifted off Villa Park two minutes later when Ezri Konsa swept the ball into the corner following a brilliant dribbling run from Marcus Rashford, and PSG were well and truly rattled. Had it not been for the excellent Donnarumma then Rashford, Tielemans, and substitute Marco Asensio would have added to Villa's goal tally.
Ian Maatsen also had a shot cleared off the line by Pacho at the death, but in the end PSG survived an almighty scare to progress to the semi-finals of the Champions League.
GOAL rates Aston Villa's players from Villa Park…
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Emi Martinez (6/10):
Was at fault for PSG's first goal as he failed to keep hold of Barcola's cross, but made some decent stops thereafter.
Matty Cash (7/10):
Clearly struggled with the pace of Barcola and trickery of Kvaratskhelia, but also put in some good tackles and got forward nicely.
Ezri Konsa (8/10):
His stock is continuing to rise after a performance like this. Took his goal superbly and was Villa's best defender by far.
Pau Torres (6/10):
Didn't help Martinez for Hakimi's goal and wasn't as assured at the back as his team needed him to be.
Lucas Digne (5/10):
While his talents going forward cannot be denied, his tracking back leaves a lot to be desired.
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Boubacar Kamara (6/10):
Was caught out for PSG's opener and struggled to handle the away side's dynamic midfield.
Amadou Onana (6/10):
The big Belgian started this game after impressing off the bench in the first leg, but wasn't as effective at Villa Park.
Youri Tielemans (8/10):
His creativity and threat in the final third have been a nuisance in both ties, particularly this one. He got his goal and could have had another, had it not been for the great goalkeeping of Donnarumma.
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Morgan Rogers (6/10):
Didn't have as much spark as he has done in recent times, but still provided a threat every now and again.
Marcus Rashford (8/10):
His heavy touch provided the platform for PSG's breakaway opener, but he improved immensely in the second half, with his assist for Villa's third an absolute peach.
John McGinn (8/10):
Ran his socks off for his team and almost single-handedly kick-started their fightback in the second half with a marauding run and goal.
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Jacob Ramsey (6/10):
Was quite quiet despite running all over the place.
Marco Asensio (7/10):
Nearly scored straight after coming on, only for Donnarumma to make a key stop. His runs kept PSG honest.
Ollie Watkins (6/10):
Didn't do a great deal when he came on for Rashford.
Ian Maatsen (7/10):
Was so close to forcing the game to extra-time but his shot was saved at the end.
Ross Barkley (N/A):
No time to make an impact.
Unai Emery (8/10):
His big call to start Rashford over Watkins initially looked like the wrong decision, but proved to, arguably, be the right one. Deserves huge credit for how his side kept going and nearly pulled off the impossible.
