Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain both booked dramatic semifinal berths in the UEFA Champions League 2024/25 after surviving intense pressure from Borussia Dortmund and Aston Villa in their respective quarterfinal second legs on April 15.
Barcelona Survive Guirassy Hat-Trick, Advance 5–3 on Aggregate
Despite losing 3–1 to Dortmund in Germany, Barcelona progressed thanks to their 4–0 first-leg advantage. The night belonged to Serhou Guirassy, who scored a hat-trick—including a panenka penalty and a towering header—but his efforts fell just short of completing a historic comeback.
- Guirassy opened the scoring in the 11th minute with a cheeky panenka.
- He made it 2–0 early in the second half from a corner.
- After Fermin Lopez forced an own goal from Ramy Bensebaini, Guirassy netted his third in the 76th minute.
- Dortmund thought they had a fourth through Julian Brandt, but it was ruled out for offside.
Barcelona clung on during a frenzied final 10 minutes, with Wojciech Szczesny and their defense absorbing wave after wave of attacks.
Guirassy now leads the tournament’s scoring charts with 13 goals, continuing his fairytale run after years in football’s shadows.
PSG Edge Aston Villa Despite 3–2 Defeat, Win 5–4 on Aggregate
Over in England, PSG survived a thriller at Villa Park, losing 3–2 on the night but going through thanks to their 3–1 first-leg win.
- PSG struck early through Achraf Hakimi (11’) and Nuno Mendes (27’) on the counter, stretching their lead to 5–1.
- But Youri Tielemans pulled one back with a deflected shot before half-time.
- Then John McGinn (55’) and Ezri Konsa (57’) scored in quick succession to make it 5–4 on aggregate.
Aston Villa pushed hard for the equaliser, but Gianluigi Donnarumma produced a string of brilliant saves to deny Rashford, Tielemans, and Asensio late on.
Champions League Semifinal Picture (So Far)
- Barcelona will face the winner of Inter Milan vs Bayern Munich.
- PSG await either Real Madrid or Arsenal in the semis.
Both ties have shaped into classic European showdowns, and the semis promise fireworks.
