Leon Bailey, Moussa Diaby respond to ‘electric’ Ezri Konsa at Aston Villa
Ezri Konsa was one of Aston Villa’s shining lights as they came within one goal of an historic Champions League comeback against PSG.
Unai Emery‘s side almost produced one of the competition’s defining turnarounds against his former employers, coming back from 2-0 down on Tuesday and 5-1 on aggregate to produce a 3-2 victory.
Konsa was the Villans’ third goalscorer in a remarkable start to the second half, scoring barely two minutes after John McGinn had levelled things up following Youri Tielemans’ deflected strike in the first.
Tielemans, McGinn and Konsa’s goals may have spun the game on its head to put Villa 3-2 in front, but a fourth goal never came despite the best efforts of Emery’s side as PSG saw out a 5-4 aggregate victory.
Ezri Konsa sends ‘electric’ message after Aston Villa exit
Every fan of both home and away persuasions went through a rollercoaster of emotions inside Villa Park on Tuesday, and Konsa was no different having also missed a golden chance to level the tie at the death.
Marcus Rashford left PSG defenders aplenty in his wake to tee up his England team-mate’s first-time finish, but Emery’s decision to withdrawn the Manchester United loanee was slammed in the aftermath.
| Aston Villa | Statistic | Paris SG |
| 3 | Goals | 2 |
| 2.05 | xG | 1.69 |
| 9 / 17 | Shots on Target | 7 / 14 |
| 34% | Possession | 66% |
| 5 | Corners | 5 |
Konsa, however, posted on his Instagram page at full-time (15 April) to note his pride at Villa’s efforts, saying: “We believed. We were so close to the comeback but it wasn’t to be.
“Devastated. Can’t thank you enough for the support you’ve given us in this Champions League campaign and tonight Villa park was electric. Still lots to play for.”
Leon Bailey and Moussa Diaby, who Villa sold to Saudi Arabian side Al-Ittihad for £50million last summer, both left messages of support, displaying the unity which runs through Villa despite their agonising exit.
Ezri Konsa solidifies England place with Aston Villa display
Konsa’s form at Villa Park has long since been good enough to earn international recognition, and with Thomas Tuchel now in charge of England, the Villa star has emerged as his first-choice centre-back.
Having started alongside Dan Burn and then Marc Guehi in England’s two matches under Tuchel last month, Konsa’s spot in defence appears to be his to lose with the World Cup just 14 months away.
Amid a season which has been affected by injuries, Konsa has more than held his own as one of the keystones of Emery’s new era at Villa Park, and expect that to be the case for the Three Lions too.