October 04, (THEWILL) – More than two decades since Newcastle last played in the UEFA Champions League at home, they rekindled memories of their first ever outing, a 3-2 victory over Barcelona in 1997, by battering French champions, PSG, 4-1 at a raucous St James’ Park.
Miguel Almiron opened the scoring for Newcastle, but it was local lads, Dan Burn and Sean Longstaff, who put the match beyond reach for the visitors before Fabian Schar smashed in a superb fourth to seal three points.
PSG, who have invested heavily in pursuit of European success, struggled with Newcastle’s high press in the first half and failed to fully capitalise on the talents of Mbappe and co even after Lucas Hernandez pulled one back.
Nick Pope made some crucial saves to deny PSG a way back into the match. Mbappe blasted wide late on to the delight of the home fans, who were on their feet again when Schar thundered in a long range shot to round off a famous European night for the Geordie faithful.
The electric atmosphere and intensity of Newcastle’s play overwhelmed the French champions on a night that evoked memories of the club’s historic first every UCL campaign.
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
