Champions League: Barça and PSG suffer but qualify for the semis

Although the first leg results gave FC Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain some peace of mind, Borussia Dortmund and Aston Villa quickly eradicated it, putting two of the best teams in European soccer on the ropes and leaving a very pleasing image in front of their respective fans.

Dortmund, whose star player was Guirassy, dominated at will over Barcelona, which had one of its worst appearances all season. Meanwhile, Unai Emery's Villa was on the verge of sending the tie into overtime, coming within inches of beating the goal excellently defended by Gianluigi Donnarumma.

In Germany, Niko Kovac's team started with a high tempo and pressing, making Barcelona’s midfield too uncomfortable without Pedri's presence from the start. From the first minutes, the locals' good play was transformed into chances in the box, and at 11', Guirassy converted a penalty "Panenka-style," lighting up Signal Iduna Park.

From that moment on, Hansi Flick's team began to suffer. Aligned by the context and Guirassy's movements, Araujo was again imprecise and unsure in the crosses. Koundé and Gerard Martín failed to contain their respective flanks and in attack, Yamal, Raphinha and Lewandowski were completely disconnected from the game. They were very separated from each other and without connection with  Barça's midfielders.

With a certain logic, Dortmund began to generate more and more chances. Still, they were always met by a very safe and solvent Szczęsny, who once again demonstrated his authority under posts in complex and siege contexts.

Szczęsny kept Barça within their senses in the second half, with saves against Adeyemi and Pascal Groß just after Guirassy scored from close range to make it 2-0.

The problem for Kovac's side was again their almost anti-competitive defensive line, which five minutes after the 2-0 lead left Fermin Lopez free and alone on the right side of the box. The play ended in the worst possible way: a low cross from the young Spanish midfielder that found Bensebaini's wrong foot, who scored, to his team's disgrace, a lapidary own goal for the Germans.

Then, with the introduction of Pedri, Barça seemed to slow down the pace of the match; however, another mistake by Araujo left Guirassy one-on-one in the 76th minute, keeping the tie open until the final moments. Despite the tension, Dortmund failed to score and, with some suffering, Flick's side managed to shake off old ghosts and seal a place in the Champions League after a six-year absence.

PSG, in the semis for the second year in a row

If Barça suffered, Luis Enrique's team suffered twice as much, clinging to a Donnarumma who made three heroic saves to avoid overtime at Villa Park.

In contrast to the match in Germany, today in England looked quiet, thanks to early goals from Hakimi (0-1, 11') and Nuno Mendes (0-2, 27').

With those two goals, the Parisians forced the home side to score up to four goals and force overtime—an improbable mission for all intents and purposes.

However, if there is one thing you should never do in a direct elimination duel, it is to leave Unai Emery's team for dead.

Led by an inspired Youri Tielemans and a tireless John McGinn, the "villains" managed to come back in a net period of less than 30', thanks to goals from Tielemans (34'), McGinn (55') and Konsa (57').

From that moment on, the match was an earthquake, a vibrant back-and-forth that pitted Dibu Martinez and Gianluigi Donnarumma, both impassable after the 3-2 score line.

On the one hand, Martinez was responsible for keeping his team believing until the end, making impressive saves against Hakimi, Dembele and Doué.

Meanwhile, Donnarumma saved the 4-2 on three occasions: two flying saves against Tielemans and Rashford and another one by saving and leaving Asensio with no angle when he went one-on-one to equalize the series.

Finally, in the last play of the tie, substitute Ian Maatsen came within inches of sending the game into overtime with a perfect volley from the edge of the box. Donnarumma, who was on hand to save, saw Ecuadorian Willian Pacho step in to prevent an epic equalizer that would have been a mortal blow for Luis Enrique's side, who, thanks to that save, secured their second consecutive qualification to the Champions League semifinals.