Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain secured their spots in the UEFA Champions League semifinals after intense quarterfinal battles, overcoming Borussia Dortmund and Aston Villa, respectively, on April 15, 2025. Both teams faced significant challenges in their second-leg matches but held firm to advance.
Barcelona Survives Dortmund Scare Barcelona progressed with a 5-3 aggregate victory despite a 3-1 loss to Dortmund in Germany. Serhou Guirassy’s hat-trick, including a panenka penalty and a header, nearly sparked a miraculous Dortmund comeback. However, an own goal by Ramy Bensebaini, forced by Fermin Lopez, kept Barcelona’s hopes alive. Despite late pressure and a disallowed goal by Julian Brandt, Barcelona, led by Hansi Flick’s attacking trio of Robert Lewandowski, Lamine Yamal, and Raphinha, stayed on course for a potential treble. They will face either Inter Milan or Bayern Munich next.
Guirassy, with 13 Champions League goals this season, expressed pride in Dortmund’s fight. “Barcelona are strong, but we showed what we can do,” he told Amazon Prime.
PSG Edges Past Villa in Thriller PSG advanced with a 5-4 aggregate win after a 3-2 defeat at Villa Park.
Early goals from Achraf Hakimi and Nuno Mendes gave PSG a commanding lead, but Aston Villa fought back with Youri Tielemans’ deflected strike and second-half goals from John McGinn and Ezri Konsa. PSG goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma’s heroics, denying Marcus Rashford and others, preserved the aggregate lead. PSG, chasing their first Champions League title, will meet either Real Madrid or Arsenal in the semifinals.
Villa’s Ezri Konsa praised his team’s resilience: “We showed great belief, but unfortunately, it wasn’t enough.”
Semifinal Showdowns Await Barcelona and PSG remain in the hunt for European glory, with challenging semifinal matchups on the horizon. Fans eagerly await the next chapter in this thrilling Champions League campaign.
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