Paris Saint-Germain coach Luis Enrique said he was very happy that his team had made it to the semi-finals of the Champions League, but that there were some bad moments in the second half of the quarter-final second leg against Aston Villa, which his team lost.
Paris Saint-Germain advanced to the semi-finals of the Champions League, despite losing 3-2 to Aston Villa in the second leg of the quarter-final on their away pitch in Birmingham.
"There was torture in the second half, it was very difficult, but I think the team and the players have to be ready. We are very happy, we are in the semi-finals for the second year in a row and I think that is very good," Enrique said, as reported by the French club's website.
The French club won the first leg of the doubleheader in Paris 3:1, advancing to the semifinals with a 5:4 aggregate score.
Paris Saint-Germain took a 2-0 lead in the second leg, but Aston Villa managed to turn the tables with goals from Youri Tielemans in the 34th minute, John McGinn in the 55th minute and Ezri Konse in the 58th minute.
"The second half was very difficult. It was complicated on an emotional level. We conceded two goals in three minutes and that moment could have eliminated us. We need to improve some aspects of our game, but I'm very happy," added Enrique, who thanked his fans for their support.
Paris Saint-Germain will play the winner of the second leg between Arsenal and Real Madrid in the semi-finals. The English club won the first leg of the second leg 3-0 in London.
Aston Villa coach Unai Emery said he was proud of his team's performance in the second leg of the quarter-final.
"We tried to visualize how to play with the same players but with a different game plan and try to threaten them by exploiting their weaknesses and our strength in our stadium. The fans gave us energy and strength. They played a very important role in how we responded after going 0-2 down, as they supported us and helped us to get the chance to come back. We did that and we won. We were close to scoring a goal that would have equalised the aggregate score of the two matches, but we didn't manage it. We have to be proud of the job we did," Emery said.
Emery added that the upcoming Premier League matches against Newcastle and Manchester City will be a great test for his team.
"We have games against Newcastle and Manchester City next Sunday. It's fantastic, because it will be the best test for us, to see how we respond," Emery said.
The top five clubs in the Premier League table will secure direct qualification for next season's Champions League, and Emery said that securing one of those places is his team's main goal for the rest of the season, so that Aston Villa can remain consistent in playing in European competitions.
"The idea is to be consistent in qualifying for European competitions. Last year we played in the semi-finals of the Conference League. This year we played in the quarter-finals of the Champions League. The best competition in Europe is the Champions League and it is the most difficult to achieve. That is our goal and we will prepare for the last six games in the Premier League to achieve it," concluded the Aston Villa coach.
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