Emiliano Buendia proud of Aston Villa performance despite Super Cup defeat to PSG

Villa missed out on the UEFA Super Cup after falling to a 2-1 defeat against Paris Saint-Germain at the Red Bull Arena in Salzburg on Wednesday night. Emery's side briefly drew level through Brian Madjo, who made history as the youngest goalscorer in Super Cup history after cancelling out Khvicha Kvaratskhelia's opener. Despite dominating the chances and recording an expected goals (xG) total of 2.13 compared to PSG's 1.03, Desire Doue's second-half strike sealed victory for the French champions.

Argentine winger Buendia insisted that the Villa squad showed immense spirit despite taking to the pitch without several key figures missing following their World Cup campaigns.

Speaking to TNT Sports after the match, Buendia gave his assessment of the game and discussed the squad overhaul at Villa Park: "Yes, football is like this. There are changes, but the structure and philosophy are here. We know the structure and have to move on."

Reflecting on the competitive encounter in Salzburg, he added: "Not a good feeling. We can be proud of the game we did. We competed well. We had chances. They are top players. They get chances, they score and they win the game. We were there and competed very well [at 1-1]. At the end of the first half, we had chances. In the second half we were showing character."

The fixture served as a breakout stage for 17-year-old forward Madjo, who delivered an impressive performance leading the frontline by recording six shots and winning eight aerial duels.

The young striker's promising display provides a breath of fresh air amid the summer departures of established senior players such as Youri Tielemans, Morgan Rogers, and Lucas Digne. Buendia was also quick to praise his young team-mate's trajectory, adding: "I tried to help him. He is young but he has good development."

Villa will conclude their pre-season preparations with a final friendly match against Borussia Monchengladbach this Saturday. The true test of Emery's tactical setup in domestic competition begins when they travel to face Brighton in their Premier League opener on August 23. Maintaining tactical consistency and integrating emerging young players will prove crucial to Villa's hopes of sustaining their push at the top end of the table this season.