Aston Villa boss Unai Emery has outlined how “proud” he was of his team following their performance against Paris Saint-Germain but insisted his team deserve to play in the Champions League again.
Villa headed into the fixture facing a 3-1 deficit on aggregate following the defeat at the Parc des Princes last week, before conceding two early goals to Achraf Hakimi and Nuno Mendes in the opening 30 minutes of the second leg at Villa Park.
Youri Tielemans’ deflected effort pulled one back before half-time, with captain John McGinn and Ezri Konsa striking within the space of two minutes after the restart to tee up a tantalising finish with the scoreline finely poised at 5-4 in the tie.
Villa had chances to draw level through Marco Asensio, playing against his parent club, and Konsa but ultimately fell short before bowing out of the competition with their heads held high.
“I am very proud of everything we did,” Emery told Amazon Prime.
“To get to this level is the best step forward to get to where I want to be at with Aston Villa.
“We competed well in the first leg, but not enough. We were even better today and close to coming back. The last step forward is still [missing], and this is the only [aspect] I want to [work on] for our process.”
Villa have are now facing a short turnaround before another crucial clash, as they host fellow Champions League chasers Newcastle, live on Sky Sports, this Saturday. The Magpies currently sit in fourth place, two points ahead of Villa in seventh, with a game in hand.
Emery continued in his press conference: “The players showed capacity. We beat Bayern Munich and we won tonight, the players showed their capacity at this level, they are here because they deserve to be here and facing matches like today.
“I want a club with same the challenges as I have – adding more quality players if we need it – so proud of these players, confident we will get our objectives until the last match we’ll face.”
McGinn: We have come a long way
The Villa captain kickstarted the second-half resurgence after driving deep into the PSG half and firing into the top corner. He insists, despite exiting the competition, the team can be proud of their efforts and the journey they have been on.
McGinn signed for Villa from Hibernian in 2018 and played a major role in their rise from the second tier of English football to competing with Europe’s elite.
“Obvious disappointment but I am proud of my team-mates, proud of the club,” he told Amazon Prime. “We have come a long way. We were so, so close tonight. We just fell a little bit short.
“We had chances to take the game to extra-time but we’ve got to be proud about the way we came back against one of the best teams in the world, to fight to the end.
“We want more. We want to be back here next season and we will try our best to do that.”
When asked about what Emery said at half-time, when his side were still staring down the barrel of a 5-2 deficit on aggregate, McGinn added: “He said, ‘I’m proud of the performance, keep going, you just never know’.
“We never gave up. It was chaos, but we gave absolutely everything and I think every Aston Villa supporter will leave with a huge sense of pride.”
Konsa: We will be back!
Konsa echoed the claims made by his manager and captain, while also referencing the chance he missed when Marcus Rashford’s cross flashed across the face of goal but the defender failed to make the necessary connection from point-blank range.
“I’m proud of the boys,” Konsa said. “The two goals at the start killed us but we showed great belief and character to get back into it. We won the second leg but it wasn’t enough.
“At half-time we felt we had nothing to lose. We wanted to go out there and prove a point. We had chances, I think I scored the hardest one. I don’t think we could have done any more. I missed the ball [for the headed chance], it happens.
“Donnarumma made some excellent saves. We showed tonight we can compete at the highest level and we want to do it again next season.”
Enrique: PSG have not been dominated in this way before
PSG boss Luis Enrique acknowledged the spirited performance from Villa and even claimed he had not seen a team “dominate” his side in that manner before travelling to the west Midlands.
“I do not think this team has been dominated by a team in this way but the opponent had to take risks because they were going out of the competition.
“They attacked with real intensity and in front of a great crowd as well. We will improve with this experience.
“I was not happy at the end of the first half. We were playing at a level that was not befitting of the Champions League. Then in the second half, we were really suffering and Villa had chances to equalise.”
