With Aston Villa all set to take on Paris Saint-Germain in their UEFA Champions League quarter-final second leg at home, a moment of confusion and some light-hearted chuckles marked the pre-match proceedings. In a surprising turn, the Europa League anthem was mistakenly played ahead of kickoff.
The high-stakes clash at Villa Park began with muffled laughter during team assembly, as the Europa League anthem echoed across the stadium instead of the iconic Champions League choir. The mix-up caused visible amusement among players from both sides, with Villa’s Youri Tielemans notably struggling to hold back his laughter.
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Ahead of what eventually turned into a dramatic clash between PSG and Aston Villa—where the hosts were eyeing a comeback—the anthem confusion sparked a buzz among the fans too. Supporters in the stands could be seen reacting to the mistake as the wrong anthem played over the sound system.
Despite the technical blunder, Villa’s performance on the pitch was no joke. After PSG’s Achraf Hakimi opened the scoring in the 11th minute and Nuno Mendes followed with a goal in the 27th to give the visitors a 5-1 aggregate lead, Villa mounted a spirited comeback. Tielemans kicked things off with a goal in the 34th minute, followed by second-half strikes from John McGinn and Ezri Konsa that threw the game wide open.
However, PSG goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma came to the rescue with a series of crucial saves, denying Villa a full comeback and ensuring the Parisians advanced to the semi-finals despite a 3-2 defeat on the night.
With their Champions League journey now over, Unai Emery and Aston Villa will turn their attention to securing a top-four finish in the Premier League to ensure a return to Europe’s elite competition next season. A tough fixture against Newcastle United now awaits.
