Newcastle United vs Paris Saint-Germain. UEFA Champions League Group F.
St James' Park, NewcastleAttendance52,009.
Match report as Newcastle thrash Paris Saint-Germain 4-1 at a buoyant St James' Park; Miguel Almiron, Dan Burn and Sean Longstaff scored before Fabian Schar's late stunner; win takes them top of Champions League Group F
Thursday 5 October 2023 08:36, UK
Fabian Schar's sensational long-range goal capped a stunning 4-1 thrashing of Paris Saint-Germain as Newcastle went top of Group F in their first Champions League game at St James' Park in 20 years.
In an emotional and highly-charged atmosphere in the north east, Eddie Howe's side roared into a three-goal lead as boyhood Newcastle fans Dan Burn and Sean Longstaff found the net either side of half-time following Miguel Almiron's early opener.
PSG pulled one back through Lucas Hernandez, but the hosts showed impressive resilience to hold off a fight back, sealing a historic victory when Schar fired a brilliant effort into the top corner to send the home fans into dreamland.
The victory, over a side who reached the final of the competition only three years ago, was Newcastle's biggest-ever in the Champions League and made even more impressive by the fact they were without key players Sven Botman, Callum Wilson and Joelinton.
PSG boss Luis Enrique started Kylian Mbappe as part of a four-pronged attack but Newcastle limited the 24-year-old to only one shot on goal on an unforgettable night for the club which serves as a statement of intent on their return to Europe's top table.
Howe had called on his players to use "controlled emotion" on a monumental night for the club and that is precisely what they did, remaining calm after Ousmane Dembele had volleyed Mbappe's early cross inches wide, then taking control.
PSG's plan was to invite Newcastle's press in order to exploit the space behind them, but it backfired spectacularly when Bruno Guimaraes cut out a loose Marquinhos pass for the opening goal.
The Brazilian's headed interception fell to Alexander Isak, whose shot on the swivel was parried by Gianluigi Donnarumma, but Almiron was there to guide the rebound into the bottom corner, prompting an explosion of celebration inside the ground.
PSG attempted to muster a response, with Warren Zaire-Emery firing a long-range effort wide, but their 4-2-4 system left them completely outnumbered in midfield and soon they were being overrun.
The second goal, powered over the line by Burn from Guimaraes' chipped cross following a Kieran Trippier free-kick, was awarded after a three-minute VAR check, with the officials first checking for offside and then a possible handball by Jamal Lascelles.
The delay only made the subsequent celebrations more pronounced and Newcastle's evening got even better soon after half-time when Longstaff ran onto a Trippier pass and released an angled shot which Donnarumma was unable to stop.
PSG looked shell-shocked at that point but they hit back when Zaire-Emery's chipped pass was headed beyond Nick Pope by Hernandez, the goal briefly giving the visitors hope of a turnaround.
But Newcastle, having kept five consecutive clean sheets in the lead-up to the game, again showed formidable resilience.
After PSG had struggled to carve out chances, Schar stole possession high up the pitch, exchanged passes with substitute Jacob Murphy, and fired an unstoppable shot into the top corner to seal an extraordinary win.
Newcastle boss Eddie Howe said: "An amazing evening for us.
"So many stories to talk about within the game itself, but just first and foremost, delighted for everyone connected with the club. What the supporters gave us tonight was incredible.
"They are such a good team. We had to defend really well and we did. I thought, collectively, our sprit and our energy was excellent.
"We created the positive things we had in the first half from really aggressive pressing, everything that's a hallmark of ours when we play well.
"Then, second half we had to dig deep and get over the line."
Newcastle midfielder Sean Longstaff said: "It's some night. I think we knew as a group it would be special with the atmosphere.
"But for me and Dan Burn to score tonight is surreal, I'm lost for words!
"There are a few who thought three years ago they were out the door. Since the takeover it has been amazing. It's been an unbelievable night and I'm over the moon.
"My family will be proud, they'll be drunk as well! They don't go out on a Wednesday night but they might now.
"This is the elite of the elite and they've got some of the best players in the world. To go against them was amazing. There's still stuff to improve on, but tonight we will celebrate."
On getting Mbappe's shirt after the game, he said: "I was blocking him from the goal kick and I got it for my little brother!"
Asked whether anyone from Newcastle would be going into work on Thursday, he said: "I hope not. If they need an excuse not to go in, then there is definitely one for this."
PSG boss Luis Enrique said: "It was a difficult night. I don't think we deserved that kind of result but they were so effective in the last part of the pitch and we made some mistakes.
"At that level, it's always difficult to accept that, but when you make mistakes, you pay for it.
"I think the idea to welcome their pressure worked. We tried to put in front of their goal the most chances as possible, but we didn't work so effectively there."
How do you even begin to sum up such a mind-bogglingly brilliant night for Newcastle? "I'm lost for words," said Sean Longstaff, scorer of their third goal afterwards. As well he might be.
Many thought his days were numbered when the Saudis took over, transforming the club's financial clout overnight, but here is, two years later, as one of two boyhood Newcastle fans, along with defender Dan Burn, not only playing but scoring in a historic Champions League win over Paris Saint-Germain.
The identities of their scorers speak to the incredible work done by manager Eddie Howe. Newcastle's wealth is unmatched, but this is no team of superstars. Miguel Almiron was a punchline not long ago. Fabian Schar was a £3m buy under Rafael Benitez.
But these are the players who helped haul Newcastle into the Champions League last season so it was fitting that they were centre stage on Wednesday night, when, at a jubilant St James' Park, they truly announced their arrival in the competition.
Newcastle were without several key figures - Sven Botman, Callum Wilson and Joelinton among the injured - but it did not matter. Kylian Mbappe and his team-mates were the ones who looked cowed by the occasion, overrun by the black-and-white shirts.
Howe talked up his team's "spirit and energy" afterwards but it was hard for him to do justice to what he had witnessed. "There are so many stories to talk about," he said. Newcastle's fans, Longstaff and Burn included, will revel in those stories for years.
Newcastle's next assignment is a Premier League trip to West Ham at the London Stadium on Sunday October 8 (kick-off 2pm).
PSG return to Ligue 1 action by travelling to Rennes, also on Sunday (kick-off 7.45pm).
Newcastle's next Champions League game sees them host Borussia Dortmund on Wednesday October 25 (kick-off 8pm. PSG face AC Milan at home on the same evening.
