Newcastle United manager Eddie Howe has conceded he would likely have accepted a Champions League play-off place at the season's outset, after his side secured that exact route with a determined 1-1 draw away at reigning champions Paris Saint-Germain.
Magpies Set for Knockout Showdown
The result on Wednesday night confirmed Newcastle's finish in 12th place in the Champions League table, narrowly missing automatic qualification for the last 16 by a single goal behind PSG. This sets up a crucial two-legged play-off tie for the Magpies, who will face either French Ligue 1 side Monaco, currently positioned 10th domestically, or Azerbaijani champions Qarabag for a coveted spot in the competition's knockout stages.
Howe's Pragmatic Assessment
When questioned if he would have settled for this scenario back in September, head coach Howe offered a characteristically honest and measured response. "I probably would have done. I don't know," he stated. "We didn't set out with that intention, we set out to try to qualify outright, but I think you take every eventuality that falls your way."
Howe elaborated on the challenge of their final group game, acknowledging the difficulty of needing a victory in Paris. "Now, we knew this would be our last game and it was going to be really tough if we were needing to win, and that was the position we found ourselves in. We went all out to try to do that... We gave everything we could to try to finish in the top eight; we didn't quite get there, so we have to go another route."
Resilience on Display in Paris
The match itself was a testament to Newcastle's growing resilience on the European stage. Goalkeeper Nick Pope was instrumental early on, producing a brilliant save to deny Ousmane Dembélé from the penalty spot before Vitinha eventually fired the hosts into the lead.
Reflecting on his crucial intervention, Pope highlighted the team's collective character. "Going two goals behind here is really difficult, so to obviously keep that one out and then stay in the game at one goal, it was great character from the group. We showed real maturity and obviously came back."
Regrouping after conceding, Newcastle found their organisation and were rewarded when Joe Willock powered home a header in first-half stoppage time. The visitors even threatened to snatch a dramatic victory late on, with substitutes Anthony Gordon and Harvey Barnes injecting fresh pace and endeavour into the closing stages.
Controversy and Defiance
The match was not without controversy, reviving memories for Newcastle of a contentious late penalty decision that cost them victory at the Parc des Princes two years prior. Howe expressed his frustration, not only with the penalty awarded against his side for a handball by defender Jamaal Lascelles, but more pointedly with the decision not to award a similar spot-kick later when PSG captain Marquinhos appeared to handle the ball.
"You can debate the first decision," Howe argued, "but if you think it's a penalty – which obviously the officials did – then for me, the next one has to be a penalty as well. I don't think the first one is, personally... It hits their player's arm first and it's unintentional."
Opposite number Luis Enrique, whose PSG side have now drawn with Athletic Bilbao and lost to Sporting Lisbon in recent weeks, remained defiant. "Newcastle, you think it's an easy team to play? I think it's clear," he said. "Against who we have played, we could have played better, yes, granted. We could have obtained better results, yes. But after analysing the type of matches that we've played, we're still there, we're ready and we'll see which teams we will be playing against."
Newcastle's European journey now continues via the play-off path, with the club's focus shifting to a high-stakes knockout tie that will define their continental campaign.
