Newcastle United got a mention during last night’s Champions League semi final coverage.
While the Magpies have been preparing for their next Premier League clash with Burnley, four clubs have been battling it out for a place in the 2024 Champions League final – a competition where Newcastle United were eliminated during the group stage.
But Newcastle still have a presence in the competition. Real Madrid brought former Toon striker Joselu on as they drew 2-2 with Bayern Munich, while the second semi final had a couple of teams that Eddie Howe is very familiar with.
Newcastle United’s opponents meet in the Champions League semi final
In the second semi final, Borussia Dortmund took on Paris Saint-Germain in Germany. It was Dortmund who triumphed, and the Bundesliga side now have a 1-0 advantage heading into next week’s second leg in Paris.
It was Niclas Fullkrug who scored the only goal of the game, and he also scored against Newcastle at Signal Iduna Park back in November.
Eddie Howe’s side were convincingly beaten by Dortmund on two occasions, but it was a different story against PSG. The home game was the best match I have ever experienced at St James’ Park, as the Magpies smashed the Ligue 1 giants to win 4-1.
But for all the ecstasy of that night, there was heartbreak in Paris. The game ended in a 1-1 draw, but it would have been back-to-back wins for the Magpies had there not been a terrible penalty decision.
PSG equalised in stoppage time, after Tino Livramento was judged by VAR to have committed a handball in the box.
What Ally McCoist said about Newcastle on Wednesday night
It was an astonishingly bad decision, and one that inevitably cost Newcastle and saved PSG.
And Ally McCoist was quick to remind viewers on TNT Sports of that as he and co-commentator Darren Fletcher reflected on PSG’s journey to the final four of the Champions League in the 27th minute.
“I vowed I wasn’t going to do it until at least the second half, but a rather controversial penalty against Newcastle helped them a little bit as well, didn’t it,” he said.
Fletcher replied: “Absolutely, Newcastle fans watching tonight will be saying exactly the same.”
Painful to see PSG still in the Champions League
It is certainly very jarring to see PSG in the Champions League semi final, knowing fine well that they should not even be in the competition. That penalty they got against us was an absolute disgrace, and robbed Newcastle of one of their most famous night.
It also ultimately led to the Magpies being completely eliminated from Europe, which was a real blow back in December. However, given our injuries, I am not sure if we would have been able to cope with more high pressure games.
But if PSG do make it to the final and finally win their first Champions League, it will have to come with a massive asterisk next to it.
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