Two goals down but Emery still bullish

Aston Villa manager Unai Emery insisted he still believes his side can get the better of Paris Saint-Germain and reach the Champions League semi-finals, despite a 3-1 away defeat in the first leg of their last-eight tie on April 9.

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PARIS - Aston Villa manager Unai Emery insisted he still believes his side can get the better of Paris Saint-Germain and reach the Champions League semi-finals, despite a 3-1 away defeat in the first leg of their last-eight tie on April 9.

Villa took the lead in the first half at the Parc des Princes through Morgan Rogers — only for the hosts to turn the game on its head, thanks to stunning strikes by Desire Doue and Khvicha Kvaratskhelia either side of the interval.

A Nuno Mendes stoppage-time effort, which gave PSG a two-goal cushion to take to Villa Park for the return leg, appears to leave Emery's side with a huge task to turn the tie around.

"At 2-1, we were thinking about playing to win in the next match. At 3-1, it is still the same," Emery said.

"But we are here and enjoying it, and I am very proud of the players. We competed fantastically and we were close to getting a good result. At the end, with this goal, it is still more or less the same.