Newcastle footballers longed for a valuable win, but in the end they only drew 1:1 with PSG in the fifth round of Group F of the Champions League. Despite their initial activity, the French giant conceded in the 24th minute thanks to the onrushing Alexander Isak. The subsequent pressure from the Parisians resulted in an equalizer only in the eighth minute of the second half, when Kylian Mbappé scored the final score of a game full of chances from the penalty spot. However, the strongest group on paper has still not been resolved, because in addition to the sure-to-advance Dortmund, the remaining three teams can also apply for participation in the spring phase of the competition.
While PSG struggled with uneven performances in away matches, they dominated in front of their own fans. The power of the French hegemon was also felt in the last league round by the ambitious Monaco, who grabbed a five-goal quota in Paris. But Newcastle also experienced a successful general season, which swept Chelsea despite a huge defeat. This time, the guests had to keep an eye on Mbappé, who scored seven goals in the last four matches across all competitions.
At first, however, they did not guard the French megastar very carefully, as Mbappé almost beat Nick Pope with his heel in the ninth minute. An even bigger goal was created a moment later by Isak, who fired the ball just over the crossbar from a small goal. In the 24th minute, the Swede did much better when he waited for Gianluigi Donnarumma’s inept ball and calmly finished from close range. Ousmane Dembélé could have taken care of the equalizer after a nice individual move, but Pope scraped his ground effort. In the last action of the first half, the home winger’s shot was blocked by the defense.
Dembélé continued to be in practically everything of importance, but he did not come to Pope even 11 minutes after the change of sides. The experienced goalkeeper excelled in the goal of the Magpies, as he then famously caught a shot from a small goal produced by Bradley Barcola, a newcomer to the field. The nervous Parisians were aware that progress could slip through their fingers, but in addition to increasing the pressure, they also exhausted themselves by frequent discussions with the referee. In the 82nd minute, Dembélé could have become the hero again, but he narrowly missed. Mbappé’s effort also ended in infamous fashion, as his own inaccuracy, in addition to Pope’s, robbed him of the goal. The festival of unconverted chances was then completed by Barcola, who directed the shot over himself rather than towards the goal from the volley. In the end, Szymon Marciniak and his colleagues rescued the home side from offensive futility, as at the end of the set-up, the referee whistled a very strict penalty after a fleeting touch of the ball with the hand of Valentino Livrament, and Mbappé equalized.
PSG did not confirm their excellent home form and lost points for the first time in Princes Park. Both groups will end their tour as a group on December 13. The Parisians will head to Dortmund, Newcastle will welcome AC Milan.
2023-11-28 20:00:00
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