Newcastle celebrated their first win in 20 years

2023-10-05 17:11:00

Two years after the sensational sale to Saudi investors, they celebrated their first success in the Champions League in 20 years. The last time PSG lost this level was in 2004 against Chelsea (0-3). “If you ever need an excuse not to come to work, it’s now,” said goalscorer Sean Longstaff, referring to the euphoric fans. The Newcastle-born midfielder was five years old when the Magpies last played a home game in the Champions League had disputed. At that time, club idol Alan Shearer was still on the pitch.

The comeback was brilliant. If the encounter with Kylian Mbappe and Co. was seen as a test for coach Eddie Howe’s team, they passed it with top marks. After two rounds, Newcastle leads the table with four points ahead of PSG (3), Milan (2) and Dortmund (1).

Newcastle’s success over the Parisians, who have been supported by Qatar for years, will also have been relished in Riyadh. The kingdom and the emirate are not friends. Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has been involved in northern England since October 2021. The team, which was in second-to-last place in the table at the time, was sold to the kingdom’s investment fund for more than 300 million euros. Fans celebrated the takeover as the start of a new era, while others criticized the human rights situation in the new owners’ country.

Newcastle are stalking their way to the top

The critical voices have now become quieter. Things have been looking up for the black and whites since the takeover. Howe, who was brought in as coach shortly afterwards, stabilized a strengthened team the following spring. In the 2022/23 season, Newcastle was able to move into the Premier after further transfers such as that of Sweden’s team striker Alexander Isak (for a rumored 70 million euros). League already set above. The four-time English champion (last in 1927) managed to qualify for the fourth place Champions League.

In the 0-0 draw in Milan, Newcastle were still well served as the weaker team. The current increase was surprising. “We wanted to be ourselves and see what came out of it,” Howe said. “We wouldn’t have expected to score four goals,” said the 45-year-old. His counterpart Luis Enrique, however, was crestfallen. “I am responsible for what happened,” emphasized the head coach of the badly beaten French team. He described the result as “fair”.