BIRMINGHAM, England: Unai Emery believes more will come from Aston Villa as they exit the Champions League with pride after a thrilling 3-2 win over Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) early this morning.
The French champions advanced 5-4 on aggregate to reach the semi-finals following a 3-1 first-leg win, but lost at Villa Park for the second time in 19 matches.
Emery’s men came close to sparking the most stunning comeback in Champions League history.
After trailing 2-0 earlier this morning, they needed four goals to force extra time but were denied by a series of saves by Gianluigi Donnarumma after goals from Youri Tielemans, John McGinn and Ezri Konsa.
“I’m very proud of everything we’ve done. To be at this level is a step forward that I want to build with Aston Villa,” said Emery, who has turned Villa’s fortunes around since taking over in 2022.
“Today it was great how we felt here with our fans. The crowd was fantastic. They enjoyed it as much as we did.”
Villa’s first appearance in Europe’s elite competition since 1983 also included a stylish victory over Bayern Munich in the group stage.
Emery’s men face a tough task of booking a ticket to the competition again next season by finishing in the top five of the Premier League.
Villa are seventh but just one point behind fifth-placed Manchester City with six games remaining.
“Going through the Premier League is very difficult,” Emery explained. “It’s an even more challenging objective to qualify for the Champions League again.
“Our challenge now is the last six games to go, trying to qualify for Europe and trying to get into the Champions League. If not, the Europa League or the Conference League.”