Newcastle United were denied arguably their greatest ever European victory in heartbreaking circumstances as Paris Saint-Germain held the Magpies to a 1-1 draw in Champions League Group F.
Eddie Howe's decimated team came under constant siege from the French champions, but the Magpies' unwavering defence frustrated the hosts to no end, and Alexander Isak's first-half strike would ostensibly prove decisive.
However, in the seventh minute of added time, Luis Enrique's men were awarded a highly controversial penalty for a handball against Tino Livramento, allowing Kylian Mbappe to cruelly rip victory from the visitors' grasp, although Newcastle do live to fight another day in the Champions League.
The first 10 minutes at the Parc des Princes were an uncomfortable watch for the travelling fans, whose side barely ventured out of their own half and struggled to keep up with the lightning-quick Mbappe and Ousmane Dembele on the wings.
The former was presented with a golden chance to break the deadlock in the ninth minute, bursting forward to meet Achraf Hakimi's low ball into the box, but his improvised flick was straight at the feet of Nick Pope.
After nearly setting up Mbappe, Hakimi almost helped to assist Newcastle in the 12th minute, losing possession to Miguel Almiron before the Paraguayan squared for Isak at the near post, but the Swede ballooned his effort horribly over the bar.
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A questionable Gianluigi Donnarumma pass to Hakimi did the Moroccan no favours, and PSG's goalkeeper was in the spotlight again in the 25th minute, as another Almiron-Isak combination - albeit a more unorthodox one - ended with Newcastle taking a shock lead.
Twenty-one-year old Livramento was at the heart of the move, dancing through challenges as he drove into a central position on the edge of the box before laying off Almiron, whose curling strike was parried into Isak's path by Donnarumma, and the Newcastle marksman did the rest from close range.
A handful of openings to restore parity came and went for PSG, who were being nullified by the exceptional work of Howe's players out of possession, although Pope was needed to deny Dembele down low in the 32nd minute before Kieran Trippier prevented Mbappe from pouncing on the rebound.
Fabian Ruiz also sent a speculative volley straight into Pope's arms in the 44th minute, before Mbappe cut back for Dembele with the final act of the half, but the ex-Barcelona man's first-time strike cannoned off the shoulder of an unsuspecting Fabian Schar as Newcastle entered the changing rooms with their lead intact.
With the knowledge that PSG's firepower off the bench significantly outweighed theirs, Newcastle unsurprisingly began the second 45 with a highly cautious approach, but Pope continued to receive terrific protection from the black and white shirts in front of him.
The Englishman was called into action in the 66th minute, though, as Mbappe easily beat Schar on the right and crossed for Bradley Barcola, but the 21-year-old was denied by an amazing reaction save from the knee of Pope before firing wide of the near post just a moment later.
Barcola's double chance breathed new life into a hitherto tepid PSG attack, who began rampaging forward at every opportunity and appealed for a pair of spot kicks, firstly for a perceived Anthony Gordon shove on Hakimi before the ball struck Lewis Miley's arm, but neither Szymon Marciniak nor the VAR room saw nothing wrong with either incident.
A penalty for this? 🧐#UCL pic.twitter.com/igMqwYkMDC
— Football on TNT Sports (@footballontnt) November 28, 2023
Newcastle remained camp inside their own half in the dying embers, but PSG wasted yet another gilt-edged chance from a cutback in the 82nd minute, as Dembele flashed a shot wide of the near post after strong work from Lucas Hernandez on the left.
Five minutes later, it was Mbappe's turn to try to break the Magpies' resistance again, but the World Cup winner shot straight into Pope's midriff from a tight angle before fizzing the rebound a whisker wide of the far post.
Enrique's side were gifted eight minutes of added time to find a way through, the first of which saw Barcola send a volley straight into the air at the back post, but controversy proceeded to rear its ugly head in the seventh.
A Dembele delivery struck the chest of Livramento before bouncing onto the right-back's elbow, leading the Parisiens to scream for a spot kick, and after a brief check of the monitor, Marciniak pointed to the spot.
Pope had not put a foot wrong all evening, but there was nothing that the Newcastle man could have done against Mbappe's venomous penalty into the roof of the net, as PSG maintained a two-point lead over the disconsolate Magpies in the Group F standings.
However, with AC Milan falling to defeat against group leaders Borussia Dortmund, Newcastle have risen above the Rossoneri into third place on goal difference and remain capable of qualifying for the last 16 on the final matchday, while PSG occupy second but are yet to confirm a spot in the knockout stages either.
Newcastle and Milan will butt heads in that crucial encounter on December 13, prior to which the Magpies meet Manchester United in the Premier League this weekend, while PSG head to Dortmund in two weeks time and return to Ligue 1 action away to Le Havre on Sunday.
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