Newcastle suffer a late upset, Man City march on

Newcastle United suffered late heartbreak as Paris Saint-Germain equalized from the penalty spot in the 98th minute, but the Magpies’ hopes of qualifying for the knockout stages of the UEFA Champions League are still alive following their 1-1 Group F draw in France.

It was business as usual for Manchester City, who came back from 2-0 down to top Group G with a 3-2 win over RB Leipzig.

How the Newcastle match unfolded

Newcastle named an unchanged starting XI for their 4-1 thrashing of Chelsea at the weekend, meaning 17-year-old midfielder Lewis Miley’s full Champions League debut.

Eddie Howe was missing 11 senior players through injury or suspension and could only name seven players on the bench, including two goalkeepers and four youngsters.

Newcastle, needing a draw to take things to the final night, looked a little overwhelmed in the opening stages; PSG’s Fabian Ruiz had an effort saved and then Magpies goalkeeper Nick Pope brilliantly cleared Kylian Mbappe’s flicked attempt with his feet.

Howe’s side grew in confidence and Alexander Isak atoned for squandering a good chance moments earlier with the opening goal after 24 minutes.

Teenager Miley played a key role in the build-up with a decoy run to leave room for Miguel Almiron to shoot after Dino Livramento’s weaving run, and Isaac was quick to respond to tap in the loose ball, although goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma parried Almiron’s effort.

Defeated 4-1 at St James’ Park on Matchday 2 on October 4, PSG were frustrated by a resolute Newcastle rearguard that blocked, cleared and lined up their bodies well.

Pope made another crucial save, this time racing off his line to make a block from Ousmane Dembele as PSG pushed for a second-half equalizer.

PSG had a flurry of penalty appeals twice following a VAR review, Pope brilliantly denied Bradley Barkola and then Mbappe from close range, and the fightback with Newcastle looked set for a famous victory.

But Livramento was adjudged to have handled the ball in the eighth minute of added time and Mbappe made no mistake from the spot.

Newcastle must beat AC Milan in the final at St James’ Park on December 13, and Borussia Dortmund will hope to deny PSG victory if they are to progress to the last 16 of the competition.

Group F levels

How Man City’s rivalry unfolded

Man City’s players stepped out in retro shirts on a day when a statue dedicated to club legends Colin Bell, Francis Lee and Mike Summerbee was unveiled outside the Etihad Stadium.

However, it took a vintage second-half display from Pep Guardiola’s side to come back from a 2-0 deficit and defend their unbeaten home run in Europe, with Lyon the last team to win at the Etihad Stadium in 2018.

City began the night with their place in the knockout stages of the competition already confirmed for the 11th consecutive season.

Leipzig, on their third visit to the Etihad City in three years, have conceded 13 goals in their last two visits – including seven times in March.

Leipzig went ahead with the simplest of goals on 13 minutes – keeper Janis Blaswich’s long punt picked out forward Lois Opanta, who got the better of Manuel Akanji before calmly slotting a shot past Stefan Ortega.

Things got worse for Guardiola’s side after 33 minutes as Obanda again became the first player to score a first-half Champions League brace at Man City, a feat achieved by Tottenham Hotspur’s Son Heung-min in 2019.

Guardiola, who came back from a two-goal deficit once in his Champions League managerial career as Bayern Munich manager against Juventus, made a double substitution that turned the tie on its head.

Jeremy Toku and Julian Alvarez replaced Jack Grealish and Kyle Walker in their 50th Champions League loss and the move quickly paid off.

Phil Foden set up Erling Haaland and scored his fifth Champions League goal within seconds of his debut.

The engine of the city has clicked into gear and there is no stopping them.

Foden pulled his side level with 20 minutes remaining with a sublime touch and finish to set up a grandstand final.

Leipzig’s Fabio Carvalho, on loan from Liverpool, had a goal ruled out for offside and Alvarez sent the Etihad faithful into raptures with three minutes remaining, slotting home the winner from close range after Foden’s pass was deflected into his path.

Group G positions