Barcelona and PSG pushed to the limit in Champions League advance | OneFootball

There weren’t many positives for Dortmund and PSG after last week. Both sides were outplayed in the first leg of the Champions League quarterfinal and lost 4-0 and 3-1 respectively. Despite this, there would be one saving grace, and it wouldn’t be from a factor on the pitch, but from one off the field. While going into the second leg with a deficit is less than ideal, going home to Signal Iduna Park and Villa Park proved to be tough challenges for both PSG and Barcelona.

Villa fans before their match against PSG - UEFA Champions League 2024/25 Quarter Final Second Leg | Jean Catuffe/GettyImages

PSG’s night in Birmingham got off to a wild start. During the walk-out and line-up of the players before the match, the speakers mistakenly played the theme music for the Europa League instead of the famed Champions League anthem. Paris certainly started the game like a team who belonged in Europe’s top competition. Counter-attack goals from Achraf Hakimi and Nuno Mendes extended the Parisians lead to 5-1, a cushion which against another team could’ve been more than enough.

Hakimi, Dembele, and Mendes celebrating a goal against Aston Villa - UEFA Champions League 2024/25 Quarter Final Second Leg | Dan Istitene/GettyImages

In most cases when a team is down four goals, a comeback is not on the minds of anyone. In the Champions League, a team has only come back from four goals down once, in Barcelona's famous “Remontada” over PSG in 2017. Aston Villa must’ve missed the memo, and got themselves back into the game quickly. Youri Tielemans fired a shot off Willian Pacho to get the Lions back into the tie. This got the crowd going, and the home side took advantage. After the break, Villa grabbed another two goals through John McGinn and Marcus Rashford.

John Mcginn and Marcus Rashford celebrating against PSG - UEFA Champions League 2024/25 Quarter Final Second Leg | Molly Darlington/Copa/GettyImages

While an admirable effort, it was ultimately not enough for Villa, who fell 5-4 on aggregate to PSG. While Paris is going to a semi-final in back to back years, the Parisians were still unhappy after the match. Despite winning the Man of the Match award, Ousmane Dembélé was visibly displeased following the conslusion of the tie.

There are few places in Europe which have a reputation quite like Dortmund’s Signal Iduna Park and their “Yellow Wall” of 25,000 fans. The fans in Germany certainly had a large effect on the game as a whole. Barcelona came into yesterday with a comfortable 4-0 lead, having dismantled Dortmund in Spain just a week prior. What happened next was a German onslaught, starting with a penalty converted by Serhou Guirassy in the 11th minute.

Serhou Guirassy following one of his three goals - UEFA Champions League 2024/25 Quarter Final Second Leg | Crystal Pix/MB Media/GettyImages

Barcelona looked like a shell of themselves in the second leg. Behind their fierce ultras, Dortmund dominated the rest of the game. Two more goals from Guirassy gave BVB a 3-1 win, but it would ultimately not be enough, and Barça would go through 5-3 on aggregate. Despite still advancing to the semis, there are some causes for concern. In yesterday's defeat, Barcelona were outperformed 3.81 to 0.49 on expected goals. While there is some logic that you should play more defensive when you have a four goal lead, a team led by German coach Hansi Flick is sure to be disappointed with their performance.

Hansi Flick was very upset at his teams performance - UEFA Champions League 2024/25 Quarter Final Second Leg | Alex Grimm/GettyImages

Winning in the Champions League is not easy, no doubt about it. Both Barcelona and PSG should be thrilled to have advanced to the semi finals of Europe's premier competition. While both sides are likely disappointed with the performance, they should still keep things in context. Birmingham and Dortmund are two places with impressive atmospheres, and many teams have collapsed under the immense pressure from both fanbases. A win is a win, no matter how ugly it may be.