Unai Emery has urged his Aston Villa squad to achieve Champions League qualification once more after their exit from the tournament on Tuesday night.
On Tuesday night, Aston Villa was eliminated from the Champions League, even after a 3-2 win against Paris Saint-Germain at Villa Park.
Nuno Mendes’ last-minute goal in the first leg last week proved crucial, as Emery’s team rallied from a 2-0 deficit on the evening to defeat the French champions 3-2.
Villa exerted all their effort and beyond to resist and create a nail-biting conclusion for PSG – who eliminated the anticipated Premier League champions in the last round.
Villa's Champions League campaign was commendable, finishing in the league phase's top eight, which secured automatic qualification for the last 16, and they easily eliminated Club Brugge to arrange a match against Luis Enrique’s team.
Head coach Emery, energetic as always on the sideline throughout the match, highlighted the significance of securing a top-five position in the Premier League to qualify for the Champions League once more.
He stated: “I take great pride in all that I have accomplished.” Reaching this level is the next progression; I aim to achieve victory with Aston Villa. We played two matches, performed strongly, and the results were not equal. Today we performed better and were near the outcome.
"I aspire to focus on my upcoming endeavor at Aston Villa." The audience was incredible; they provided us with enthusiasm. Even when it's 2-0. Nonetheless, there's still a bit more to do to improve efforts to achieve it.
"Each player at this level has a significant role to fulfill and aims to be a key figure." Our abilities made us protagonists too. We were also a main character due to our abilities. We concentrated on our strategy. I was focused solely on executing our game plan and maintaining consistency. We were on the offensive, and those transitions were precise. We were aware of it. We aimed to prevent transition, and today we adopted the new strategy and exerted more effort.
“It is now crucial to regain Europe once more.” The Champions League is the most significant tournament. The goal we face in the final six matches is to aim for Europe and the Champions League.
Villa's captain John McGinn netted his team's second goal of the evening, bringing the aggregate score to 5-3, and expressed his pride following the game.
“Clear disappointment, but I take pride in my teammates and my club,” the Scotland midfielder stated.
"We have traveled a long path." We were extremely, extremely near tonight. We simply didn't quite make it. We had opportunities to extend the game into extra-time, but we should feel proud of how we battled back against one of the top teams globally, fighting until the end.
"We desire additional." Our goal is to return here next season, and we'll strive to achieve that.
“I have never competed against Real Madrid or Barcelona, yet in my career, they are the top team I have encountered.” I’m aging, and I definitely wouldn’t want to compete against them weekly.
Regarding Emery’s half-time discussion, McGinn commented: “He mentioned ‘I’m proud of how you played, continue, as anything can happen’.” We didn't quit. It was mayhem, yet we put forth our utmost effort and I believe every Aston Villa fan will depart with immense pride.
PSG manager Enrique stated: “We must remember, this is the Champions League and the opposing team possesses great quality. Aston Villa competed with a great deal of intensity. In both matches, we truly earned the victory.
"For the second consecutive year in the semi-finals, we aim to advance to the next stage."
“I believe we possess the finest team globally, not just the top goalkeeper.” A club like PSG has many top-quality players. That’s soccer and that’s rivalry.
After PSG secured their fourth Champions League semi-final in six years, club captain Marquinhos mentioned to Amazon Prime: “We were aware that it would be a challenging match. We held onto our belief, maintained our intensity, and trusted that we would prevail until the very end.
“It’s an incredibly challenging competition, yet we are improving continuously and demonstrating that we are a strong team.” There is a conviction that we can make it all the way and achieve victory this year.
In other Champions League action on Tuesday night, Barcelona experienced a jolt, falling 3-1 on the road to Borussia Dortmund after securing a 4-0 victory at home in the first leg.
Serhou Guirassy netted three goals for the Germans, yet it was ultimately insufficient.
Real Madrid welcomes Arsenal – the sole Premier League team left in the competition – on Wednesday following the Gunners’ impressive 3-0 victory at the Emirates last week, while Inter faces Bayern Munich after a 2-1 triumph at the Allianz Arena in their initial leg.
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