PSG end Aston Villa’s European run after epic fightback falls just short

​ Unai Emery will always shudder at mention of La Remontada. It came to define his time as the manager of Paris Saint-Germain, the crazy Champions League defeat to Luis Enrique’s Barcelona in 2017 after his team had held a 4-0 first-leg lead in the last 16. Barcelona would end up needing three goals with 88 minutes of the second leg gone at the Camp Nou. They got them for a 6-5 ­aggregate win.On an epic night in the West Midlands, the roles were reversed; Emery the hunter with Aston Villa, Luis Enrique the hunted at PSG. It so nearly produced the ultimate moment of catharsis for Emery. His team were magnificent, absorbing the body blows of two concessions inside the opening half-hour that put PSG 5-1 up on aggregate and refusing to believe that this showpiece Champions League quarter-final was beyond them. Continue reading… Read More