Magpies thrashed PSG 4-1
Newcastle United registered their first Champions League win in almost two decades with a 4-1 victory over French champion PSG. This was a memorable night in Newcastle, and they won’t forget it anytime soon.
PSG almost took the lead five minutes into the game when Kylian Mbappé’s accurate cross found Ousmane Dembele in free space at the far post. Fortunately for the home team, his shot missed the target.
St. James’s Park exploded in the 17th minute when Newcastle took the lead, and the French were made to pay for their mistake. PSG were caught playing from the back when Marquinho’s poor pass fell to Alexander Isak. His shot was deflected well by Gianluigi Donnarumma, but Miguel Almiron calmly slotted the rebound into the goal. Newcastle added a deserved second goal just before halftime. PSG nearly converted Kieran Trippier’s free-kick into their own goal, forcing Donnarumma to make a save. He then stopped Bruno Guimarães at his near post, and the Brazilian’s chip was headed home by Dan Byrne. It was initially ruled out for offside, but the decision was overturned by VAR.
PSG switched to a 4-3-3 in the second half, but it had no effect as the Magpies added a third goal after 51 minutes. Sean Longstaff found space on the right side of the penalty area and fired a low shot, allowing Donnarumma to slip under his body and bounce the ball into the roof of the net.
This goal finally spurred PSG into action, and a few minutes later they equalized. Warren Zaire-Emery put in a beautiful ball, but Nick Pope was slow to react, and Lucas Hernandez scored a header.
As Newcastle began to tire, PSG began to increase the pressure, with Dembele forcing Pope into a fine save with just over 10 minutes remaining. Mbappe had to wait until the 85th minute to take his first shot of the match, but it sailed wide of the goal, ending PSG’s night. However, there was no fightback from the French side, and Schall was able to even concede a fourth goal with a shot into the top corner from 25 metres to go, capping off a memorable night for the Magpies.
