Newcastle 4 -1 PSG
by Roger Domeneghetti
at St James’ Park

NO-ONE wanted to leave. At the end of a raucous, emotional night, the Newcastle supporters stood and cheered as one to celebrate an emphatic victory in their first home Champions League match for 20 years.

When Newcastle were drawn into group F it was given the obligatory “Group of Death” tag. Yet, as Luis Enrique acknowledged before this game, the Toon Army were the pot-four team everyone wanted to avoid. This result showed why.

In the end, victory was earned with relative ease. That it was spearheaded by goals from two local-born players, Dan Burn and Sean Longstaff, only made it the sweeter.

“I’m so pleased with the players for what they gave tonight,” said the Newcastle manager Eddie Howe.

“It was a difficult game, tactically. PSG try to play from the back, so we had to unbalance and unsettle them.”

“We were man for man at the back against elite players and they had some moments when they hurt us in what, I thought, was an even game. But our goals came at good moments.

“To score four times against PSG in front of our supporters made it a really special night. The atmosphere was very special. I can’t thank our fans enough.”

Newcastle drew first blood after just 16 minutes. Bruno Guimaraes stealing the ball as PSG tried to play out from the back. Aleksander Isak drawing a great save from Gianluigi Donnarumma, before Miguel Almiron emphatically buried the rebound.

It was Newcastle’s first Champions League goal for 20 years and no less than they deserved. The home side got their second goal six minutes before the break.

Donnarumma, made a fantastic double save, but could not claw away Dan Burn’s header before it had crossed the line. There was an interminable VAR check before the goal was given. The noise level increased further.

The second half had barely begun when Longstaff, latching on to a diagonal ball from Trippier, grabbed Newcastle’s third.

Donnorumma should have parried the shot but he mishandled it and skewed up into the roof of the net.

Six minutes later PSG grabbed a lifeline, Lucas Hernandez heading past Pope. But Newcastle finished the stronger, Fabian Schar capping the performance with a riffled shot from distance one minute into added time.

The win leaves Newcastle top of the “Group of Death,” very much alive.