In the match between PSG vs Newcastle in the 5th round of Group F Champions League 2023/24, the home team had to rely on Kylian Mbappe’s penalty kick goal in the 90+8 minute to avoid defeat right on the holy land of the Park. The Princes.
Welcoming Newcastle, PSG fielded its strongest lineup with a quartet including Mbappe – Lee Kang In – Dembele – Muani and controlled the match after the opening whistle. On the opposite side, Newcastle, with extremely thin personnel due to injuries, played resiliently, standing firm under pressure from the opponent and silently waiting for the opportunity to counterattack.
Although PSG held a lot of the ball, they did not have many truly dangerous opportunities because the Newcastle defense played hard and focused. When PSG attacked a lot but failed to score, they had to pay the price. In the 24th minute, Livramento dribbled the ball around the PSG defenders before passing it to Almiron to finish. Donnarumma successfully blocked Almiron’s shot but watched helplessly as Isak kicked the ball into PSG’s net, opening the score.
Conceding a goal right at home, PSG was forced to push their attacking lineup higher. However, in the sublime half, goalkeeper Nick Pole continuously denied dangerous shooting situations from Mbappe and Dembele. The first half ended with the score 1-0 in favor of Newcastle.
Entering the second half, coach Luis Enrique continuously made adjustments to personnel but could not help PSG’s attackers improve their finishing ability. Goalkeeper Pope’s impatience and impressive blocking ability prevented the home team from having fun in the official match time.
Minute 90+8, when PSG fans thought about a defeat, the turning point happened. The referee determined that the ball touched Livramento’s hand within 16m50 and gave the home team a penalty. On the 11m mark, Mbappe easily completed the task of setting a 1-1 draw.
With a draw, PSG (7 points/5 matches) secured second place in Group F and held an advantage in the race to advance. Meanwhile, Newcastle ranked 3rd (5 points), equal to the bottom team AC Milan’s points. The opportunity for the remaining teams in Group F (after Dortmund) to reach the 1/8 round will be decided in the final round.