In their first Champions League home game in 20 years, a wild Newcastle put on a brilliant performance to defeat French champions Paris Saint-Germain 4-1 on Wednesday Night.
Newcastle’s Glorious Night in the UCL
PSG could not match the wrath and rigidity of the Newcastle players, they were outshone in every department. The tenacious home team quickly took the lead through Miguel Almiron in the 17th minute of play, and then doubled Newcastle’s lead with a powerful header from Dan Burn six minutes before halftime in a scorching environment in the north east that PSG could not match.
After the break, the crowd made sure there was no letup, and five minutes into the second half, Sean Longstaff gave the Newcastle supporters a dream goal by hammering a third under Gianluigi Donnarumma in the PSG goal.
With a last-second fourth goal from defender Fabian Schar, Newcastle went to the top of Group F with four points, one ahead of PSG in second. An improbable goal from Lucas Hernandez gave the visitors hope.
Newcastle’s Local Heroes Dan burn and Sean Longstaff Shine
While there is a greater picture and wider objectives, Newcastle United’s locals produced their own credibility-defying narrative on a pivotal, extraordinary night. PSG’s owners brought the Middle East to the north-east.
Burn outperformed. Sean Longstaff, a fellow Geordie, and Kylian Mbappe accomplished what PSG’s star-studded forward line was unable to do by scoring, while Miguel Almiron and Fabian Schar finished off what was undoubtedly Newcastle’s best performance in many years.
Newcastle’s improbable lads took control of the supposedly doomed group of the Champions League on another chastening, terrifying night for the frequent underachievers from the French city.
And if the final word has a more serious connotation than being exiled to the Europa League, Newcastle’s goal scorers gave the contest a serious tone. Although Saudi Arabia did not purchase Newcastle to fulfill Burn’s goals, his has been the project’s most appealing narrative among its many elements, some of which are more honorable than others.
Newcastle’s Sean Longstaff spoke to TNT Sports after his team’s big win saying: “It’s some night.
“We knew as a group it was going to be special. For me and Burny to score is unreal. There’s a few here who probably thought three years ago we were out the door.
“I’m so proud to be from Newcastle, I’m over the moon.”
PSG’s Manager Luis Enrique loses tactical battle against Newcastle’s Eddie Howe
In the first half, there were a few little situations that kept coming up. Even for unremarkable occurrences like giving up a goal kick, Newcastle players were always prepared to incite the audience even more. The other involved Dembele seizing control on the right, moving inside, and handing it immediately to a man wearing a black and white jersey.
It didn’t speak well of Dembele’s performance that this continued happening, but you also had to question whether the pass may have been on had Luis Enrique selected a center midfield of some sort. His four-pronged approach, which included Dembele, Mbappe, Ramos, and Kolo Muani, was daring on paper but failed to produce a shot on goal before halftime due to a struggling midfield.
Marquinhos stumbled because he had no easy choices for passing out of defense, leaving Manuel Ugarte with the difficult duty of attempting to act as some sort of defensive shield.
That was the cause of Newcastle’s first goal, and it was as easy as nobody being stationed there to pick up Longstaff’s run for the third. The defeat suffered by this new-look PSG team is very much in line with their worst Champions League performances. Their seasoned and respected coach didn’t think they had a chance against the magpies.
