Aston Villa manager Unai Emery has dismissed the impact of Paris Saint-Germain‘s late goal in their 3-1 defeat in the first leg of the Champions League quarter-finals on his team’s chances of advancing – and has promised to “make sure” his side are fully prepared to try and pull off an epic European comeback. Villa seemed set to return from Paris with only a one-goal deficit after Morgan Rogers’ initial strike was outdone by stunning goals from Desire Doue and Khvicha Kvaratskhelia.
However, Nuno Mendes’ injury-time goal appears crucial as Villa had managed to hold off Liverpool‘s vanquishers following a series of key saves from Emiliano Martinez, who is not popular among French fans. Emery maintains that Villa’s perspective remains unchanged and the loss is not the “worst” outcome. “It’s not changing a lot,” the Spanish coach stated.
“At 2-1 we were thinking for the next match playing to win, at 3-1 it’s still the same. We need to win the next match, not just by one goal, two. I’m very proud of the players and how we are developing and doing with our increasing in our demands and playing against PSG.
“We competed fantastically and we were close to getting a good result. At the end with this goal it’s more or less the same.”
For Villa to continue their Champions League journey, they will need to recreate the glory of their most famous night when they won the European Cup in 1982. Yet Emery remains optimistic, adding: “I believe Villa Park is our home, hopefully we can be stronger, get the duels better than today and have our moment more than today.
“They’re still favourites, and they showed their qualities. The result is not the best or the worst. Still 90 minutes to play in the second leg and we’re ready in case we have to go to extra-time. We know it’s a team that’s built to win at very high level.
“We’re very happy to compete at this level, facing teams collectively, we’re not the best version of our team. Collectively and individually I’ll make sure we’re better. We’re here to compete and this is not changing.”
Paris Saint-Germain demonstrated their credentials as strong contenders for the coveted Champions League trophy. “I think we changed our DNA trying to sign young players with a lot of quality,” commented PSG manager Luis Enrique.
“We have that resources. It is important to try and develop our idea. We are in that important mix with the enough energy to try to go for the next phase and try to make history in Paris.
“It is our goal to try and win all the trophies. It is an ambitious goal but it is motivating for us. I am very happy with the performance today and the whole year and I hope we can continue that way.”
Content Source: www.express.co.uk