Tag: PSG

EAST RUTHERFORD: Chelsea outplayed UEFA Champions League winners Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) 3-0 to clinch the FIFA Club World Cup trophy here at the MetLife Stadium, New Jersey, on Sunday.

This was the first edition of the 32-team Club World Cup, with the next tournament scheduled to take place in 2029. The Chelsea vs PSG final saw a nearly full house with 81,118 fans in attendance, including President Donald Trump.

The European champions, PSG, made their way to the United States after their triumphant campaign, with a stunning 5-0 demolition of Inter Milan in late May. However, the favorites failed to live up to the expectation as Chelsea dominated throughout the final.

The ‘Player of the Match’ in the Chelsea vs PSG final, Cole Palmer, scored two goals and set up another as the English club won the first edition of the expanded Club World Cup by beating European champions Paris Saint-Germain 3-0 in Sunday’s final at the 82,500 capacity MetLife Stadium.

Palmer netted twice in the opening half-hour and Joao Pedro added the third before the break, with a roundly beaten PSG having Joao Neves sent off late on.

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Cole Palmer opened the scoring midway through the first half and struck again to make it two on the half-hour mark, before taking advantage of passive defending to set up Joao Pedro for the third on 43 minutes.

A bad day for PSG was summed up when Joao Neves was shown red following a VAR review four minutes from the end for pulling Marc Cucurella by the hair off the ball.

It was a scoreline that few could have predicted, as Chelsea capped what has been a long but memorable season by becoming the first-ever winners of the Club World Cup, having also won the UEFA Conference League and finished fourth in the Premier League.

They will also take away around $125 million in prize money, meaning the prospect of a drastically curtailed summer break before returning for next season will surely feel worth it.

For PSG, the financial benefits are similar, but there is a real sense of disappointment in not being able to add this title to their Champions League victory and their double win in the French league and cup.

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Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) coach Luis Enrique on Friday urged his team to conclude the best season in the club’s history by winning the Club World Cup, but warned not to expect Sunday’s final against Chelsea to be a “simple formality.”

“This is absolutely not going to be a simple formality,” the Spanish coach insisted, refusing to accept that PSG are necessarily overwhelming favourites to lift the trophy at MetLife Stadium despite their fearsome form.

“I have analysed Chelsea. They have a great squad. Enzo Maresca is doing a great job, and I really like what he is doing,” Luis Enrique said. “They are a very complete team.”

PSG can complete a remarkable clean sweep of trophies with victory, having won a French league and cup double before claiming the UEFA Champions League for the first time in their history at the end of May.

“We want to finish this historic season in the best possible way,” said the former Barcelona coach.

“Now we must open the next chapter, win more major trophies. We want to make more history by winning on Sunday.”

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PSG were spellbinding at times in their 4-0 victory against Real Madrid in the semi-finals and also put four goals past Atletico Madrid and Lionel Messi’s Inter Miami during the competition.

“But we have to win this game to round things off. However, in a final, there is always a winner and a loser, and that doesn’t mean the loser has necessarily done anything wrong,” Luis Enrique added.

“We will lose again at some point, because that is what happens in top-level football, but I think the path is clear for everyone.”

This is the first edition of the 32-team Club World Cup, and whoever wins on Sunday will be world champions for four years, with the next tournament scheduled to take place in 2029.

“We are aware of the importance of this match, that it is a golden opportunity to be in a World Cup final,” said captain Marquinhos.

“This only happens every four years, and we don’t know where we will be in four years.”

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Fabian Ruiz scored twice as European champions Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) turned on the style in their reunion with Kylian Mbappe on Wednesday, thrashing Real Madrid 4-0 in the semi-finals of the Club World Cup to set up a final showdown with Chelsea.

Ruiz and Ousmane Dembele scored inside nine minutes to stun Real and silence the majority of the 77,542 crowd who were wearing white at the MetLife Stadium outside New York.

The Spanish midfielder added another before half-time, and Goncalo Ramos got a late fourth as Luis Enrique’s side moved one game away from glory at FIFA’s new tournament.

Victory against Chelsea in the Club World Cup final on Sunday would complete a campaign of unparalleled success for the Parisians, who won the French title and then the first UEFA Champions League in their history in May.

After blowing away Inter Milan 5-0, the biggest victory in European Cup final history, PSG began their Club World Cup bid by putting four past Atletico Madrid, and the ease with which they disposed of Real was striking.

PSG’s fluidity contrasted starkly with Madrid, who are a work in progress under new coach Xabi Alonso.

“We were not good enough today,” said Alonso. “We are not the first ones to lose to them, but we have a lot of different things to improve.”

Mbappe struggled to make any impact on his first start at the tournament and in his first game against PSG since leaving the French club last year.

The defeat is a real blow to Real Madrid as they hoped to win the first 32-team Club World Cup to add to their record tally of 15 European Cups.

PSG were without imposing centre-back Willian Pacho due to suspension following his sending-off against Bayern Munich in the quarter-finals, but that did not matter.

Lucas Beraldo slotted into the defence with ease, and the rest of PSG’s first-choice line-up was there.

Real were missing central defender Dean Huijsen through suspension, while the absence of Trent Alexander-Arnold was an added blow.

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The return to the starting XI of Mbappe, who missed the entire group stage through illness, did not prevent young striker Gonzalo Garcia from keeping his place.

But the Spanish giants’ front line, completed by Vinicius Junior, made no real impact, such was the extent of PSG’s domination.

Real goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois made two superb saves inside the opening five minutes, the first to tip away a Ruiz shot, and the second to deny Nuno Mendes from point-blank range.

Yet, Courtois could not prevent Paris from scoring in the sixth minute, as Dembele pounced on slack defending by Raul Asencio. The Real Madrid keeper saved at the forward’s feet, but Ruiz converted the loose ball.

Three minutes later, the contest was effectively over when Antonio Rudiger failed to control a simple pass from Jude Bellingham, allowing Dembele to run through before finishing low into the corner.

Like his friend Mbappe, Dembele was starting for the first time in the Club World Cup after being injured. That was a 35th club goal since August for a player who is a serious candidate for the Ballon d’Or.

It was turning into a humiliating afternoon for Real as PSG got their third midway through the first half.

A deflected shot by Mbappe was easily held by Gianluigi Donnarumma, and no Madrid player touched the ball again before they were picking it out of their net a minute later.

Dembele released Achraf Hakimi on the right, and he squared for Ruiz, the Spain star taking a touch to hold off Fede Valverde before finishing.

Khvicha Kvaratskhelia could have got a fourth before the interval, while Desire Doue had a goal disallowed early in the second half.

But Real were not coming back, and Alonso opted to take off Bellingham and Vinicius just after the hour mark in a clear sign of surrender.

PSG then got their fourth after 87 minutes when Ramos controlled a pass from fellow substitute Bradley Barcola, turned and fired in.

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Nine-man Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) set up a Club World Cup semi-final clash against their former superstar striker Kylian Mbappe and Real Madrid with a 2-0 victory over Bayern Munich on Saturday in Atlanta.

Los Blancos squeezed out Borussia Dortmund 3-2 in New Jersey in the day’s other Club World Cup quarter-final clash, with Mbappe on the scoresheet for the first time at the tournament.

Luis Enrique’s PSG needed to dig deep in front of 67,000 fans at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium after late red cards for Willian Pacho and Lucas Hernandez.

The French side won the UEFA Champions League for the first time in their history in May, despite their key player Mbappe departing for Real last year.

Young forward Desire Doue, who shone on PSG’s road to European glory, and Ballon d’Or candidate Ousmane Dembele got the goals in the second half of an enthralling clash against Vincent Kompany’s Bayern, who had two strikes ruled out for offside.

PSG also lost playmaker Jamal Musiala in vital Club World Cup clash to a horror ankle injury just before half-time, which Kompany said made his “blood boil” because of how unfortunate it is for the 22-year-old.

“After the first red card it became complicated, then with two players less it was a bit of a lottery,” said a relieved Luis Enrique.

PSG goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma and his Bayern counterpart Manuel Neuer both made several excellent saves in a pulsating battle at the air-conditioned, covered venue which allowed both sides’ high-pressing, attacking approaches to shine.

Players and spectators at both matches observed a minute of silence in honour of Liverpool forward Diogo Jota and his brother Andre Silva, who tragically died in a car crash on Thursday.

PSG’s clash with Bayern was FIFA’s expanded tournament’s biggest heavyweight clash thus far and the game delivered, even if fans had to wait until the 78th minute for the opener.

After Harry Kane gave the ball away, PSG surged forward and 20-year-old Doue fashioned some space on the edge of the box before flashing a low strike home at the near post.

Bayern were given hope as they hunted for an equaliser when PSG defender Pacho was sent off for a high tackle on Leon Goretzka after 83 minutes.

Kane had a goal disallowed for offside, like Bayern’s Dayot Upamecano in the first half, and after Hernandez was dismissed for an elbow Dembele tucked home the second in stoppage time, paying tribute to Jota by copying his video-gaming celebration.

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“In the first half we showed them who we are and they had problems with us,” said Bayern substitute Thomas Mueller, who played his last game for the club.

Real Madrid cruised for the most part against Dortmund before a flurry of goals at the end left them in danger of losing their lead.

Xabi Alonso, unbeaten at the helm, shifted back to a four-man defence against Niko Kovac’s side, shorn of suspended Jobe Bellingham, who would have loved to face his older brother, Madrid’s Jude.

The coach decided to leave Mbappe, who missed the three group games after a stomach bug, on the bench and persist with Gonzalo Garcia up front.

The 21-year-old striker paid back Alonso for his confidence by grabbing his fourth goal of the tournament after 10 minutes with a close-range finish from Arda Guler’s cross.

In the 20th minute Fran Garcia doubled Los Blancos’ lead, rushing into the box to polish off Trent Alexander-Arnold’s dangerous ball across the face of goal.

Madrid were cruising to victory until Max Beier drilled home in stoppage time.

Real responded, with substitute Mbappe netting his 44th goal of the season with an acrobatic finish from another Guler cross.

He paid tribute to the late Jota by making the number 20 with his hands, the Portuguese striker’s shirt number at Liverpool.

Real Madrid were not home and dry. Dean Huijsen was sent off for tugging back Serhou Guirassy as he ran through, and the Guinea international netted from the spot, but Borussia Dortmund had no time to equalise.

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Lionel Messi faces a reunion with his former club Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) after his Inter Miami side reached the last 16 of the Club World Cup with a 2-2 draw with Palmeiras.

The Brazilian side fought back from two goals down to draw at Hard Rock Stadium, a result which secured both teams a place in the knock-out stages.

Goals from Tadeo Allende and Luis Suarez had Miami on course for a second surprise victory in the tournament after their win over Porto.

But the Brazilian side struck twice in the last 10 minutes through Paulinho and Mauricio to make sure of their place in the next round.

Few expected Miami to make it out of the group, but they now face the European champions while Palmeiras will have an all-Brazilian encounter with Botafogo.

For Messi, who celebrates his 38th birthday on Tuesday, the tie in Atlanta will see him face his former club PSG for the first time since leaving them to join Inter Miami in 2023.

“It’s a historic night for the MLS because we are into the best 16 teams in the world, and all the MLS have to be proud of Inter Miami,” said Miami coach Javier Mascherano.

The result meant that Egyptian club Al Ahly and Porto were both eliminated despite producing a highly entertaining 4-4 draw at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey.

There were six Argentines in the Miami starting line-up, which took the field in front of a large Brazilian contingent in the 60,914 crowd.

The travelling fans were on their feet in the opening minutes when Gustavo Gomez powered a header goalwards from a corner, but Oscar Ustari was down well to save.

Inter Miami grabbed the lead in the 16th minute when Suarez brilliantly chested a long ball into the path of the on-rushing Allende, who showed pace to break clear of the Brazilian defence and then composure to fire past Weverton.

Palmeiras’s tactics of sitting off Miami were not working with Messi dropping deep and linking up with Sergio Busquets and Federico Redondo as the Major League Soccer side enjoyed plenty of possession.

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The only chance for Palmeiras before the break came when Facundo Torres found himself in a promising position after some sloppy Miami defending but he screwed his shot wide.

Messi’s first real effort on goal came four minutes after the restart when he eked out just enough room on the edge of the box for a low shot but Weverton was down well.

Allende threatened again when he broke down the right and flashed a shot just wide of the post and Messi drove a bouncing ball narrowly over the bar as Miami pushed for a second goal.

That came in the 65th minute with the 38-year-old former Barcelona striker Suarez rolling back the years as he dribbled past two defenders and then blasted into the top corner.

Top spot in the group mattered to Inter Miami as it would have avoided the clash with PSG, but it was not to be as Palmeiras earned themselves a crucial point with their late revival.

Substitute Paulinho fired home in the 80th minute after a lovely reverse pass from Allan Andrade.

Then, with three minutes left on the clock, Maxi Falcon’s header fell straight to Mauricio, who pounced on the opportunity, rifling into the far corner to make it 2-2.

“It was a great game from us, it’s difficult to play against one of the best teams in South America,” said Mascherano.

“Maybe at the end we had the game in our hands, so the feeling is strange, but before the start of the tournament, if someone told me we were going to have this kind of performance against these kind of teams, I would have signed for it.”

Abel Ferreira, the Palmeiras head coach, was highly critical of his team’s opening 45 minutes but pleased with their reaction.

“I told them at half-time that it was impossible to do worse than what we did in the first half. We were unable to contain our opponents or put pressure on them up front. But our spirit of fighting until the end was particularly important in the second half, and we were rewarded for that,” he said.

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Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) suffered a shock 1-0 Club World Cup defeat against Brazilian side Botafogo on Thursday in a hardfought battle between the reigning champions of Europe and South America.

A first-half goal from Brazilian international Igor Jesus proved the difference as Botafogo all but sealed a place in the knockout rounds in front of a 53,699 crowd at the Pasadena Rose Bowl.

French champions PSG are widely regarded as one of the favourites for FIFA’s 32-team tournament after a dazzling season which culminated with a scintillating 5-0 demolition of Inter Milan in the Champions League final last month.

But their hopes of securing a victory which would have seen them become the first side to reach the last 16 were stymied by a resilient performance from their opponents from Rio de Janeiro.

“A lot of people wondered, but we showed how strong Botafogo is,” goalscorer Jesus said after the win. “It was a difficult game, and we had to defend well, and we did our job and scored a goal.

“We’re really happy — we knew how important this game was. One team was the champion of the Champions League, the other team was the champion of South America,” added Jesus.

Earlier this year, Jesus was strongly linked to a move to Nottingham Forest in the English Premier League, but he chose to remain with the Brazilians to participate in the Club World Cup.

“I think I made the right choice to stay in Botafogo,” Jesus quipped.

PSG coach Luis Enrique said his team had expected a tough battle.

“We knew it was going to be a very difficult match — they defended very well,” the Spaniard said.

“This Club World Cup is very intense and difficult, and all the teams are highly motivated, especially when they’re playing against us.”

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The PSG manager, though, was adamant that the European champions still had plenty of time to resurrect their campaign.

“If there’s a team that can turn it around, it’s our team,” he said. “We’ve got to analyse this and there are things we can improve. But I think our performance was good.”

PSG picked up where they had left off in Sunday’s 4-0 Group B rout of Atletico Madrid, with Khvicha Kvaratskhelia testing Botafogo goalkeeper John with an early curling effort after just two minutes.

But that early effort was as close as PSG came to scoring in a scrappy first half punctuated by a series of niggling fouls that prevented the European champions from settling into their passing game.

Botafogo’s midfield trio of Marlon Freitas, Gregore and Allan worked tirelessly to close down Vitinha, denying the skilful PSG playmaker time and space to launch attacks despite dominating possession.

Instead, it was Botafogo who took the lead with a goal against the run of play on 36 minutes.

Jefferson Savarino’s perfectly weighted through ball split the PSG defence and sent Jesus racing through on goal.

The Botafogo striker did brilliantly to wrongfoot the covering Willian Pacho before sweeping a shot that took a slight deflection past PSG goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma on its way into the net.

PSG continued to dominate possession through the second half, and spent long periods camped in the final third.

But Botafogo’s defence held firm and the result leaves the Brazilians firmly on course for the last 16, with a final group game against Atletico Madrid to come in Pasadena on Monday.

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Newly crowned European Champions Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) launched their bid for Club World Cup glory with a convincing 4-0 victory over Atletico Madrid on Sunday.

In searing heat at the Pasadena Rose Bowl east of Los Angeles, PSG proved too hot to handle for their Spanish opponents in an impressive opening Group B win.

Goals from Fabian Ruiz, Vitinha, Senny Mayulu and Lee Kang-In sealed the three points for PSG, who delighted a crowd of 80,619 with their adventurous attacking play in temperatures that reached 31 degrees Celsius (87.8 Fahrenheit) shortly after kick-off at midday local time.

“We did very, very well in difficult conditions,” PSG goalscorer Vitinha said. “It was a good victory to start the competition.”

PSG coach Luis Enrique said the heat “had an impact on the game.”

“The rhythm of our play was a bit lower than usual, but we were better,” Enrique said. “We trained at such a high level; this team loves to compete, and we are ready to go as far as possible.”

Atletico Madrid coach Diego Simeone refused to blame the heat for his team’s struggles.

“I cannot blame it on the heat — we both played in the same weather conditions,” Simeone said. “They played much better than we did. They have amazing players, and that’s why they’ve just won everything.

“We played better in the second half. But Paris Saint-Germain is a wonderful team, and they played a wonderful game.”

The French giants picked up where they had left off in their 5-0 Champions League final mauling of Inter Milan a fortnight earlier, quickly settling into their smooth passing game to control the early exchanges before taking the lead in the 19th minute.

A lovely passing move down the right saw the ball swiftly transferred to Georgian winger Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, who deftly laid off into the path of Ruiz to sweep in a low finish for 1-0.

With Atletico struggling to gain any kind of a foothold in the contest, the Spanish side’s frustration began to show.

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Clement Lenglet was booked for a rash challenge on Moroccan international Achraf Hakimi in the 21st minute, and Robin Le Normand picked up Atletico’s second yellow soon afterwards for bringing down Ruiz.

Ruiz himself was booked on 28 minutes for a shove on Giuliano Simeone before the Argentine midfielder collected Atletico’s third yellow soon afterwards.

With the Parisians in complete control, Atletico had to wait until the stroke of half-time before their first shot on goal, France’s Antoine Griezmann drawing a smart save from Italy international Gianluigi Donnarumma with a low shot.

From the ensuing counter-attack, however, Atletico found themselves 2-0 down.

The electric Kvaratskhelia again found space down the left and fed inside to Vitinha, who ghosted into the box before steering a crisp shot beyond Jan Oblak for 2-0.

Atletico appeared to have hauled themselves back into the game early in the second half when Julian Alvarez rifled home a low finish to make it 2-1.

But the goal was chalked off after VAR spotted a bodycheck by Argentine midfielder Rodrigo De Paul on Desire Doue in the build-up.

That effort appeared to buoy Atletico for the remainder of the half, but despite playing with greater intensity, they were unable to create a single shot on goal.

Lenglet was dismissed after picking up a second yellow card in the 78th minute.

A disappointing Atleti display was summed up by a glaring miss four minutes later, substitute Alexander Sorloth somehow scooping over an open goal from a few yards out after Marcos Llorente’s cross.

PSG swiftly made Atleti pay for that miss, substitute Senny Mayulu pouncing on a loose ball to make it 3-0 in the 87th minute. The rout was completed in injury time when Lee stepped up to convert a penalty after a handball by Le Normand.

PSG will face Brazil’s Botafogo in their next group match in Pasadena on Thursday, before completing the first round against Major League Soccer’s Seattle Sounders on June 23.

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Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) and Inter Milan will lock horns in Saturday’s Champions League final, with the French side hoping to win European club football’s biggest prize for the first time and the Italians eyeing their fourth title.

The match, which kicks off at Bayern Munich’s 75,000-capacity Allianz Arena at 9:00pm (1900 GMT), pits an experienced Inter against a PSG team appearing in their second final since the transformative Qatari takeover of the club in 2011.

Whoever wins will succeed Real Madrid as champions, and excitement is notably at fever pitch back in Paris, where around 40,000 people will watch on giant screens at PSG’s Parc des Princes stadium, and a huge police presence is planned around the city.

The climax to the European season has thrown up a mouthwatering clash of opposing styles and ideas of how to build a team, a contest between one of the continent’s old guard and one of the state-owned modern superclubs.

Despite enormous spending, PSG have never won the Champions League before, coming closest when they got to the final in 2020.

That was during the pandemic, when they lost to Bayern behind closed doors in Lisbon, despite the presence of Kylian Mbappe and Neymar up front.

The addition of Lionel Messi a year later did not help them in their quest to claim the trophy, and their brilliant run to Munich came in the season after Mbappe followed the South American superstar duo out of the exit door.

“There have been great times, difficult times, but we have a glorious opportunity to do something remarkable and historic for this club,” captain Marquinhos said on Friday.

Under Spanish coach Luis Enrique, an exciting young Paris side has taken Europe by storm in recent months, with a comeback win in January against 2023 champions Manchester City proving the catalyst.

Since then, PSG have knocked out three more Premier League sides — Liverpool, Aston Villa and Arsenal — en route to the final, and have completed a French league and cup double.

Ousmane Dembele has been their star player with 33 goals, ably assisted by fellow forwards Desire Doue, Bradley Barcola and January signing Khvicha Kvaratskhelia.

Others like Achraf Hakimi, formerly of Inter, and Italy goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma have also been superb.

“My biggest motivation is to make history for Paris and give the city and club something to celebrate,” said Luis Enrique, who is looking to win his second Champions League title, 10 years after leading Barcelona to glory.

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Victory for PSG would make them just the second French winners of the Champions League — Marseille’s 1993 triumph also came in Munich, at the old Olympic Stadium, and against Inter’s city rivals, AC Milan.

Inter were the last Italian winners when Jose Mourinho’s side defeated Bayern in Madrid in 2010. They also won it twice in successive years in the 1960s.

Coach Simone Inzaghi was already in charge when the Nerazzurri got to the final two years ago and lost narrowly to City.

As many as eight of the team that started that night in Istanbul could do so again here, and an experienced line-up should feature three players aged 36 or over.

Inzaghi’s side beat Bayern in the quarter-finals before getting the better of Barcelona in an epic tie in the last four.

Captained by star Argentinian forward Lautaro Martinez, they will set up in a 3-5-2 formation that contrasts sharply with the 4-3-3 of PSG.

“Last time against Manchester City we produced a top-class performance but didn’t win, so this time we hope to be a bit more switched on,” said midfielder Nicolo Barella, recalling the 2023 final.

“These matches come down to fine margins, but we will try to bring home the trophy, that is the dream for all of us.

“After a season like this one, I think we deserve to win this final,” added Barella, whose side missed out to Napoli for the Serie A title on the last day of the campaign.

It is, remarkably, the first ever competitive encounter between the teams.

While fans flooded into the German city on Friday, back in Paris fanzones have been set up at three locations beyond PSG’s stadium.

Police will deploy more than 5,000 officers in the city and its suburbs during the final after violence erupted following PSG’s last-four victory against Arsenal.

In Milan, meanwhile, tens of thousands will also watch the game at Inter’s San Siro stadium.

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Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) survived a second half onslaught to beat Aston Villa 5-4 on aggregate and reach the Champions League semi-finals despite a 3-2 defeat on Tuesday.

The French champions were cruising towards the last four when full-backs Achraf Hakimi and Nuno Mendes struck in the first 27 minutes to add to their 3-1 first leg lead.

Youri Tielemans pulled a goal back for the English side before half-time, and two goals in two minutes from John McGinn and Ezri Konsa transformed the tie early in the second period.

PSG were thankful to goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma for keeping Unai Emery’s men at bay and preventing another famous collapse in the Champions League knockout stages.

“At the end, we got them suffering like we did,” said Emery. “To get this level is the next step forward that I want to try to build with Aston Villa.”

Villa boss Emery was in charge of Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) when Luis Enrique’s Barcelona overturned a 4-0 first-leg deficit with a dramatic 6-1 win in 2017.

Luis Enrique again emerged victorious over his compatriot, but this tim, he was the one who watched his team almost blow a seemingly unassailable lead.

“I have to say that match for us is something that allows us to grow up and try to compete even better,” said Luis Enrique. “On the whole two matches we deserved to win and we are very happy because it’s the second year in a row in the semi-finals.”

Aston Villa had not experienced a European night like this since 1983, and there was an embarrassing moment for the hosts before a ball was kicked as the Europa League anthem was played instead of the famous pre-match hymn of the Champions League.

Luis Enrique’s surprise decision to start Bradley Barcola ahead of Desire Doue was justified just 11 minutes in when he sprinted down the left, and Emiliano Martinez spilled his cross into the path of Hakimi, who fired home the opener.

Another blistering break from the visitors cut Villa open as Ousmane Dembele squared for left-back Mendes to stroke in his fourth Champions League goal of the season and second of the tie.

Villa’s refusal to give up the fight was rewarded when Tielemans’ deflected effort pulled a goal back before half-time.

Villa fanatic Prince William and his son George were among the home support that were in raptures as what seemed an impossible fightback came closer to reality.

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McGinn’s deflected effort flew into the top corner to restore parity on the night at 2-2.

Emery’s decision to start with Marcus Rashford up front ahead of top scorer Ollie Watkins was a controversial one before kick-off.

Rashford has been reborn since a January loan move from Manchester United.

The England international was denied a goal by a stunning save from Donnarumma.

But from the resulting corner, Rashford nutmegged Fabian Ruiz, skipped past Vitinha and cut the ball back for Konsa to slot in at the near post.

A Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) side that looked imperious in the first 45 minutes were suddenly all at sea as Villa missed a series of chances to take the game to extra time.

Donnarumma produced more brilliant saves to deny Tielemans and then Marco Asensio against his parent club.

Willian Pacho blocked Ian Maatsen’s goalbound effort in stoppage time to deny Villa at the death.

But they have surpassed expectations in their first experience of the elite level of European football for over four decades.

For PSG, their quest to win the competition for the first time goes on and they have rarely had a better opportunity to end that wait.

Arsenal are their likely semi-final opponents as the Gunners take a 3-0 quarter-final, first leg advantage away to holders Real Madrid on Wednesday.

On the other half of the draw Barcelona will face either Inter Milan or Bayern Munich in a heavyweight clash.

But Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) are arguably the continent’s form side, and with the Ligue 1 title long since sewn up, can focus entirely on conquering Europe in Munich on May 31.

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Paris Saint-Germain clinched the Ligue 1 title on Saturday with a 1-0 win at home against Angers as they prepare for a Champions League quarter-final showdown with Aston Villa.

PSG needed just a draw in front of their own fans to be confirmed as champions again, having started the day a huge 21 points clear of nearest challengers Monaco with seven matches left.

Desire Doue’s strike early in the second half decided the game in PSG’s favour, allowing Luis Enrique’s team to take the title with six matches still to play.

It is a fourth consecutive Ligue 1 title for the club from the French capital and their 11th in the last 13 seasons, highlighting the extent to which they have dominated domestically since being taken over by Qatar Sports Investments in 2011.

“Our ambition is to win everything,” said captain Marquinhos, who has now won 10 titles since joining the club in 2013, to broadcaster beIN Sports.

“It is a nice feeling. It is the reward for the work we have put in throughout the season, for our consistency, and the team deserves it,” added the Brazilian centre-back, who will be suspended for the first leg against Villa.

PSG’s overall tally of 13 French league titles is three more than Saint-Etienne, who are the next most successful club with 10 but have not been champions since 1981.

Marseille have won nine titles, while Nantes and Monaco have each been champions on eight occasions.

The extent to which winning the French league has become a routine exercise for the Parisian outfit helps explain why celebrations were far from excessive on a beautiful spring day in the city.

However, Luis Enrique was raised aloft by members of his coaching staff while the PSG players undertook a lap of honour of the Parc des Princes pitch.

The trophy ceremony will take place at a later date, with PSG maintaining their focus on the European clash with Villa, who visit the Parc des Princes for the first leg of their quarter-final on Wednesday, before the return in England on April 15.

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However, PSG have another objective in their sights in the league, one which would make this title triumph stand out above all others.

They remain undefeated after 28 matches, with 23 wins and just five draws, and are on course to become the first team to complete a Ligue 1 campaign without losing a game.

The closest any French side has come to an unbeaten season remains Nantes, who went undefeated through their first 32 matches before losing their only game on the way to winning the title in 1994/95.

That was a 38-game season, while PSG will only play 34 matches in this campaign, with the league having recently been reduced from 20 clubs to 18.

They will not play again in Ligue 1 until a home meeting with Le Havre on April 19, with next week’s trip to Nantes postponed to April 22 in order to allow PSG to recover in between the two legs of their tie against Villa.

Ousmane Dembele, PSG’s top scorer with 32 goals in all competitions this season, was rested at kick-off against Angers, having netted twice in the 4-2 midweek win over second-tier Dunkerque in the semi-finals of the French Cup.

Bradley Barcola, the team’s second-top marksman on 18 goals, was also left out of the starting line-up and it was far from a vintage performance by the home side.

They were perhaps fortunate early on when Angers forward Esteban Lepaul ran through on goal before being outmuscled by Willian Pacho, the challenge a fair one in the eyes of the referee.

Doue was on hand to convert from a Khvicha Kvaratskhelia cross 10 minutes into the second half as he scored his 11th goal in all competitions since signing from Rennes at the start of the season.

That proved enough for PSG to win the game and take the title, maintaining Luis Enrique’s record of having won every domestic trophy since he took over prior to last season.

Elsewhere on Saturday, Brest scored in injury time to beat Monaco 2-1, meaning Marseille can go above the principality club into second with a win on Sunday against Toulouse.

Lyon came from behind to beat Lille 2-1 in Saturday’s other Ligue 1 game, a key encounter in the fight for Champions League qualification.

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