PSG Doubted by Fans After Holding off Aston Villa's Rally in UCL Quarter-Final

Paris Saint-Germain survived after nearly throwing away a four-goal lead in the quarter-finals of the UEFA Champions League.

PSG lost 3-2 to Aston Villa in the second leg at Villa Park but prevailed 5-4 on aggregate.

Twenty-seven minutes into Tuesday's contest, it looked like the Ligue 1 champion was in the clear. Right back Achraf Hakimi scored the first goal of the night, and left back Nuno Mendes made it 5-1 on aggregate to the Parisians.

Aston Villa midfielder Youri Tielemans provided the home side with a lifeline, but there were probably few supporters inside the ground at halftime who thought Paris Saint-Germain was in serious danger.

A little over 10 minutes into the second half, it was a much different story.

Captain John McGinn trimmed the aggregate deficit to two goals in the 55th minute, and Ezri Konsa followed in short order to bring Villa to within one.

And PSG was a pair of sprawling saves by Gianluigi Donnarumma away from watching Aston Villa equalize.

Prior to Tuesday night, Paris Saint-Germain was increasingly becoming one of the strongest contenders left. Opinions might be shifting a bit based on some of the reaction on social media:

To put a slightly positive spin on PSG's near-capitulation, a previous iteration of the squad might have collapsed completely. Once the initial flurry from Villa after Konsa's goal subsided, the match slowly petered out.

Paris Saint-Germain might also benefit from having a close brush with its own mortality. It certainly looks as though the team went into cruise control early into the second half.

When every domestic fixture is basically a dead rubber from here on out, keeping the players focused and engaged isn't always easy. PSG will know it can't afford another loss of concentration when the Champions League resumes in the next round.