Paris Saint-Germain's hard-earned progress to the Champions League semi-finals exposed some of their weaknesses to Luis Enrique, but he also saw it as a significant milestone for his young side.

PSG edged past Aston Villa by a 5-4 aggregate scoreline, though their qualification was far less comfortable than it could have been after two early goals at a raucous Villa Park put them 5-1 up in the tie.

Having fought back to get within one, Villa had plenty of chances to level the tie – most notably through Youri Tielemans and Ezri Konsa – and finished the second leg with 17 shots worth 2.05 expected goals (xG).

Only Liverpool (19) and Bayern Munich (18) have attempted more shots against PSG in a Champions League match this season, with only the latter (2.41) bettering Villa's xG figure.

But unlike previous years, when collapses defined their European campaigns, PSG clung on to reach the last four, bending in the face of stern pressure, but not breaking.

PSG had done the hard work in Paris, where a commanding 3-1 win gave them the upper hand, with Nuno Mendes' late goal eventually proving decisive.

"It wasn't our best game, that's clear," Luis Enrique said. "But what I saw was a team that suffered together. And that's new."

PSG have now progressed from their last four Champions League quarter-final ties, reaching the semi-finals for the fifth time overall and a fourth time in the last six seasons.

For years, PSG's Champions League story had been one of disappointment. The 2017 "remontada" by a Barcelona team coached by Luis Enrique, who masterminded a 6-1 second-leg win after PSG held a 4-0 first-leg advantage, remains a painful scar.

PSG almost threw away a 5-1 aggregate lead with two-thirds of their tie played.

Barcelona were dominated more than any other #UCL quarter-finalist in the past decade.

Their semi-final opponents might have enjoyed watching them.

 @alitweedalehttps://t.co/U4qGuqq76b

— Opta Analyst (@OptaAnalyst) April 16, 2025

On Tuesday, goals from Achraf Hakimi and Mendes put PSG well in control of the tie, only for Tielemans, John McGinn and Konsa to score as Villa fought back.

It was the first time PSG had failed to win a Champions League match when leading by at least two goals since March 2001 versus Deportivo de La Coruna, but Villa could not find the two-goal margin of victory they required, thanks in large part to Gianluigi Donnarumma.

After watching the Italy international make a stunning save to deny Tielemans a goal that would have forced extra time, captain Marquinhos said: "I've been through difficult moments so I'm going to savour this one.

"But we stayed together in the face of adversity. Now we need to improve because these kind of errors will not be permitted in the semi-finals."

PSG will take on either Arsenal or Real Madrid in the semi-finals as they continue to hunt a first-ever European crown.