Newcastle United produced a fantastic performance against Paris Saint-Germain but a stoppage-time penalty from Kylian Mbappe earned the French side a 1-1 draw on Tuesday evening.
Despite a quick start from PSG, it was Newcastle who would strike first in the French capital. Gianluigi Donnarumma parried Miguel Almiron’s effort into the path of Alexander Isak, with the 24-year-old hammering home from close range to give the Magpies the lead heading into the break.
PSG produced plenty of opportunities in the second half but needed a controversial 98th-minute penalty from Mbappe to deny Newcastle a memorable victory in Paris.
How the game unfolded
Eddie Howe named an unchanged lineup from the weekend’s demolition of Chelsea as injuries continue to decimate his squad, with Newcastle knowing that a defeat at the Parc des Princes would send them out of the Champions League.
The Magpies almost found themselves behind early on, Mbappe’s near-post flick rebuffed by the feet of Nick Pope following a delightful PSG move. Despite a dominant start from the hosts, Isak was guilty of missing a gilt-edged opportunity from close range at the other end just after the ten-minute mark.
However, the Swede would redeem himself in the 25th minute. Almiron curled an effort goalward after some promising work from Tino Livramento, with Donnarumma parrying a tame effort straight into the path of Isak and the striker firing home into an empty net.
Newcastle’s opener may not have silenced the crowd but it did quieten Luis Enrique’s players. Half-chances came and went for the hosts, with Pope matching any PSG effort that came his way to preserve the Magpies’ lead going into the break.
Enrique’s side hardly came flying out of the blocks in the second half but they did create the first major opening, Ousmane Dembele played through by Randal Kolo Muani before poking an effort into the onrushing Pope.
PSG’s pressure began to tell as the half wore on and the Ligue 1 champions should have had their equaliser with 25 minutes to play. Mbappe pulled the ball back for substitute Bradley Barcola from six yards out, but Pope produced a magnificent stop to deny the young attacker. The 21-year-old then dragged an effort wide from a tight angle moments later.
After seeing several half-hearted penalty shouts waved away, PSG were eventually awarded a spot-kick after the ball struck Livramento’s arm in the eighth minute of stoppage time. It was incredibly harsh, but Mbappe stepped up to produce a late equaliser to break Newcastle hearts.
GK: Gianluigi Donnarumma – 4/10 – A truly terrible parry to gift Isak his opener, a mistake that proved costly.
RB: Achraf Hakimi – 6/10 – Started brightly down the right but his influence waned as the game wore on. Livramento can be proud of how he dealt with his overlapping runs.
CB: Milan Skriniar – 5/10 – Fortunate during a one-on-one duel with Isak just before half-time, denying the striker a goalscoring opportunity more through luck than judgement. Does look awfully slow on the turn.
CB: Danilo Pereira – 6/10 – Not convincing up against Isak but did recover well to deny the Swede early in the second half.
LB: Lucas Hernandez – 6/10 – Struggled at times with Almiron, despite not having too much defending to do in the second half.
CM: Fabian Ruiz – 6/10 – Saw a decent effort parried by Pope in the first half and kept PSG ticking in midfield.
CM: Manuel Ugarte – 5/10 – Booked for a cynical foul but it was a passable performance from the Uruguayan midfielder.
CM: Lee Kang-in – 6/10 – Lacked dynamism in midfield but was tidy in possession. Didn’t make too many influential contributions in the final third.
RW: Ousmane Dembele – 5/10 – All sizzle and no steak. Plenty of endeavour down the right-hand side but incredibly wasteful in the final third.
ST: Randal Kolo Muani – 5/10 – A quiet evening for Kolo Muani who struggled to influence the game. Made one incisive pass to make a shooting opportunity for Dembele but that was about it.
LW: Kylian Mbappe – 7/10 – An uncharacteristically quiet evening in Paris. There were some nice touches from the Frenchman and he did dispatch his penalty well.
Substitutes
SUB: Bradley Barcola (62′ for Kolo Muani) – 6/10
SUB: Vitinha (62′ for Ugarte) – 6/10
SUB: Marco Asensio (83′ for Lee) – N/A
SUB: Goncalo Ramos (85′ for Pereira) – N/A
Subs not used: Alexandre Letellier (GK), Arnau Tenas (GK), Nordi Mukiele, Carlos Soler.
Manager
Luis Enrique – 6/10 – Despite a bright start, PSG struggled after Newcastle’s opener and Enrique’s half-time team talk didn’t really change proceedings. His substitutes did help the hosts, but needed some luck to earn a point.
GK: Nick Pope – 9/10 – Made some important saves in the first half and denied Barcola with a terrific stop in the second half. So unfortunate to concede late on.
RB: Kieran Trippier – 8/10 – Dealt with Mbappe remarkably well, including one fantastic challenge to deny him in the first half.
CB: Jamaal Lascelles – 7/10 – Didn’t put a foot wrong for the visitors. Newcastle didn’t miss Sven Botman one bit. Like the rest of his teammates, unlucky not to keep a clean sheet.
CB: Fabian Schar – 7/10 – Made a fantastic block to deny Dembele just before half-time and was similarly commanding at the heart of the defence.
LB: Tino Livramento – 8/10 – His mazy run led to the first goal, the young full-back showing great composure in both halves. Gave away a penalty late on but it was never a penalty. Unfortunate.
CM: Lewis Miley – 8/10 – Involved in the first goal with a good run in behind the PSG defence and showed incredible composure on his first Champions League start. He can’t be 17-years-old, he just can’t.
CM: Bruno Guimaraes – 7/10 – Battled hard in central areas and was fantastic defensively. Didn’t give PSG an inch.
CM: Joelinton – 7/10 – Not quite as imposing as his Brazilian teammate but was similarly energetic in central areas. Picked up a yellow card in the first half for a cynical foul.
RW: Miguel Almiron – 7/10 – Typically relentless throughout. Never stopped running.
ST: Alexander Isak – 8/10 – On hand to fire Newcastle in front and really should have had another in the first half. Caused PSG’s defence plenty of issues.
LW: Anthony Gordon – 7/10 – Not at his best in terms of final product but worked tirelessly in the defensive third. A real team performance from Gordon.
Substitutes
Subs not used: Martin Dubravka (GK), Loris Karius (GK), Lewis Hall, Paul Dummett, Michael Ndiweni, James Huntley, Ben Parkinson.
Manager
Eddie Howe – 8/10 – Given that his squad has been torn apart by significant injuries, Howe can be extremely pleased with his side’s performance. So unlucky not to get all three points, all without making a substitution.
Player of the match: Nick Pope (Newcastle United)
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