PSG squeak through to Champions League semifinals on aggregate over Aston Villa

Paris Saint-Germain squeaked through to the semifinals of the Champions League after losing against Aston Villa 3-2 away on Tuesday, just enough to secure a 5-4 aggregate score.

Paris Saint-Germain celebrate after the second leg of the Champions League quarterfinals against Aston Villa at Villa Park stadium in Birmingham, England, on April 15. [AP/YONHAP]

Lee Kang-in’s Paris Saint-Germain squeaked through to the semifinals of the Champions League after losing to Aston Villa 3-2 away on Tuesday, just enough to secure a 5-4 aggregate score.

PSG took the lead with two early goals from Achraf Hakimi and Nuno Mendes at Villa Park stadium in Birmingham, England, but conceded three goals to Youri Tielemans, John McGinn and Ezri Konsa later.

Goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma played a crucial role in protecting the aggregate lead. He stopped Tielemans’s close-range header in the 59th minute and denied Marco Asensio’s left-footed effort in a one-on-one situation in the 70th.

Korean midfielder Lee, meanwhile, made it on the bench but did not feature a single minute, missing two straight matches in the knockout stage. But PSG’s run still marks Lee’s second consecutive year reaching the Champions League semifinals.

Paris Saint-Germain midfielder Lee Kang-in arrives at Parc des Princes in Paris ahead of the first leg of the Champions League quarterfinals against Aston Villa on April 9. [REUTERS/YONHAP]

PSG have continued to deliver promising results despite major squad changes ahead of this season. The team lost several key players last summer including French star Kylian Mbappé, who joined Real Madrid.

But the French side has showcased a strong performance this season, with the club winning the Trophee des Champions — the French Super Cup — locking in the 2024-25 Ligue 1 title earlier this month and reaching the French Cup final.

Reaching the Champions League final this year would set them a path to their first treble — a feat that no French team has achieved before.

Lifting the Champions League trophy would also mark PSG’s first time doing so. A runner-up finish in the 2019-20 season, when the club lost to Bayern Munich in the final, remains their best result in the tournament.

PSG will first have to go through either Arsenal or defending champions Real Madrid in the semifinals. The second leg of the quarterfinals between the two was due to take place later on Wednesday as of press time.

As for Lee, winning the Champions League would be the biggest achievement of his career and make him the second Korean player to lift the coveted trophy after Manchester United legend Park Ji-sung.

Tottenham Hotspur captain Son Heung-min reached the final in the 2018-19 season, but failed to secure the title.

Lee has still seen ample success with PSG since joining the squad in July 2023, having collected five titles: Two Ligue 1 titles, two Trophee des Champions and one French Cup.

The 24-year-old has recently seen a decline in playing time, but he has still picked up six goals and five assists in 41 appearances across all competitions this campaign.

Lee has also featured in 11 Champions League fixtures this season, but has yet to record his first goal contribution in the competition.

He still has a chance to do so in PSG’s two remaining matches in the two-legged semifinals scheduled on April 28 and May 5.

PSG will first tune up in Ligue 1 against Le Havre on Saturday ahead of the Champions League semifinals.

The Ligue 1 champions will have more action to catch even after the 2024-25 season finishes with the Champions League final on May 31, with the club due to participate in the expanded Club World Cup kicking off in June.

BY PAIK JI-HWAN, PIH JU-YOUNG [paik.jihwan@joongang.co.kr]