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| AP Yonhap News |
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| AP Yonhap News |
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| AP Yonhap News |
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Aston Villa in the English Premier League (EPL) are famous for the 'royal team'.
Prince William, the eldest son of King Charles III of England and the first in line to the throne, is famous for being a bone marrow fan of Aston Villa. Prince William watched the second round of the European Champions League (UCL) quarterfinals in 2024-2025 season between Aston Villa and Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) at Villa Park in Birmingham, England on the 16th (Korea time). He also visited Paris in the first round.
Aston Villa lost the first game 1-3. In the second game, he fought for a turnaround. But the start was a disaster. PSG led 2-0 in the 11th minute and 27th minute with consecutive goals from Achraf Hakimi and Nuno Menseth.
Aston Villa needed as many as four goals to bring the game back to square one. In fact, the race seemed to be on the wane. But it wasn't over until it was over.
Aston Villa began their pursuit in the 34th minute with a comeback goal from Yuri Tillemans. In the 10th minute of the second half, John McGinn and Ezri Konsa scored consecutive goals two minutes later, quickly turning the tide.
One goal was a tie, and two goals were a come-from-behind victory. Aston Villa's wave offensive continued. Prince William, who visited the stadium with his son Prince George, was also in trouble. His every move was captured on camera.
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| EPA Yonhap News |
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| AP Yonhap News |
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Prince William expressed frustration when PSG scored two goals first. After Hakimi's first goal, he wrapped his hands around his head and held it. When Aston Villa fought back in the second half, he got up and cheered enthusiastically.
But the Aston Villa miracle did not become a reality. PSG goalkeeper Gianluigi was blocked by Donnarumma's good defense and could no longer shake the net. Donnarumma also threw his whole body to block Tillemans' header aiming at the corner of the net in the 14th minute of the second half and a left foot shot in the 25th minute of the second half. Aston Villa hit the ground in second-half stoppage time when Ian Mattsen's left-footed volley hit Willian Pacho's leg.
That was it. Aston Villa dramatically ranked fourth in the EPL last season, getting their hands on UCL tickets. He challenged the best stage in Europe for the first time in 42 years, but stopped in the quarterfinals.
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| Reuters Yonhap News |
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Britain's 'The Sun' said that Prince William and Prince George were deeply saddened to see Aston Villa's unfortunate elimination from the championship. Prince William is said to have become a fan of Aston Villa since he visited the stadium with his friends as a child.
PSG, which has advanced to the semifinals for two consecutive seasons, will compete with the winner of Arsenal-Real Madrid to advance to the final at home and away. PSG's Lee Kang-in was listed as a substitute but failed to step on the ground.
PSG coach Luis Enrique said "We deserved to win. We are very happy to give our fans another semi-final stage." There are many great players at PSG. And Donnarumma is the best goalkeeper in the world. Through today's game, our players have grown more and become more competitive."
This article was translated by Naver AI translator.
