Newcastle United received a fresh reminder of their Champions League heartbreak this week.
The Magpies were knocked out of the competition in the group stage, with Eddie Howe‘s side finishing bottom.
In isolation, that does not sound great, but Newcastle United were in the group of death, and were one dodgy decision away from at least making it into the Europa League.
The penalty that Paris Saint-Germain received in stoppage time was completely unjust, with VAR determining that Tino Livramento had committed a handball inside the box. It was a ludicrous decision, and resulted in Kylian Mbappe scoring to snatch a draw.
Had Newcastle won that game, they would have finished third in the group and PSG would have been knocked out completely. That is how tight the group of death was, and why what happened in the Champions League this week was so tough to stomach for Newcastle United fans.
Newcastle United’s Champions League opponents advance to the semis
While Toon fans reflected on their incredible win over Tottenham Hotspur, the Champions League quarter finals reached their conclusion.
Premier League representatives Manchester City and Arsenal were knocked out, while Newcastle’s UCL opponents advanced. PSG beat Barcelona, while Borussia Dortmund triumphed over Atletico Madrid.
The Magpies were mocked for coming bottom of their group, yet one of their opponents will now definitely be in the final.
Alan Shearer says what every Newcastle United fan is thinking
It is particularly jarring to see PSG in the semi final after what happened when we played them at the Parc des Princes, and Alan Shearer has said what every Newcastle fan is thinking whilst talking about this week’s Champions League action on the latest episode of The Rest Is Football podcast with Micah Richards.
Shearer: “PSG have had some luck in this competition because remember that ridiculous decision, and I’m not just bringing it up because it’s Newcastle, but they might not be in the Champions League without it?”
Richards: “Were Newcastle in the Champions League, were they?”
Shearer: “We had the group of death! Those two in the semi-final. If you said to me when Newcastle played both of those teams that they would both be in the semi-final of the Champions League I would have said no chance, not a chance. It just goes to show they got a bit of luck the other night, but they made the most of it, fair play to them.”
Newcastle held their own in the Champions League
While it did not go fully to plan, Newcastle United can look back on their Champions League campaign with a lot of pride.
That night at St James’ Park against PSG was special, and will go down in history. It was an incredible evening where everything went right.
And we would have beat them in the reverse fixture had it not been for that disgraceful penalty decision.
As for Borussia Dortmund, they were the best side we played. They did the double over us, but we were not a million miles away in both games.
Now one of PSG or Dortmund will be in the final, and have the chance to become European champions. If it is PSG who go the distance and win the whole thing, it will be a bitter pill for Toon fans to swallow.
The post 'Ridiculous': Alan Shearer says what every Newcastle fan is thinking after what happened in the UCL this week appeared first on Geordie Boot Boys.
