Paris stumble at St James' Park

Some journeys are more complicated than others. Matches that seem destined, that no fate can change. Wednesday night was one of those. Travelling to the oldest stadium in the north of England, Paris Saint-Germain knew they would be up against forces beyond their control: the weight of expectation - Newcastle had gone 20 years without a Champions League win - and the pressure of an entire nation, not to mention the self-sacrifice of a team capable of anything.
So, despite finishing top of Group F after an assured 2-0 victory over Borussia Dortmund in their UEFA Champions League opener, our Parisians were well aware that at St James' Park they would be up against much more than just an electric atmosphere.
It was an unprecedented match on paper, and an Everest for Luis Enrique, who went all-out with an ultra-attacking XI featuring a four-pronged attack with Kylian Mbappé leading Gonçalo Ramos, Randal Kolo Muani and Ousmane Dembélé.

Newcastle is a club renowned for its fighting spirit. And its Toons Army for its fervour. The stage was set and it could only be an intense, hard-fought battle against an opponent playing their biggest match in decades. From the very first minutes, you could see in each duel, each pass and each tackle a foreshadowing of the trap awaiting our Parisians... Clearly, there was no feeling-out period: the home side put Paris to the sword shortly after the quarter-hour mark. Isak's powerful shot was initially blocked by Gigio Donnarumma, but Almiron opportunistically slotted home to open the scoring (1-0, 17'). Eddy Howe's men then pulled further ahead when Dan Burn made it 2-0 (39').

For the Parisians, the second half was time to redouble their efforts and face up to the pressure... and, little by little, to try and get back into the game. But, unfortunately, the worst-case scenario was confirmed when Longstaff scored a third goal just after the break (3-0, 50'). With our backs against the wall, we had to pick ourselves up. And our warrior Lucas Hernandez duly reduced the deficit with a deft header to give Les Rouge et Bleu renewed hope (3-1, 56').

Our side did their best to hit back, and Luis Enrique also reacted - by bringing on Vitinha and then Bradley Barcola, both of whom did their utmost to give their side some breathing space. But the Magpies were far too determined and pressed incessantly every time we took the ball - a tactical straitjacket that was very difficult to break. Worse still, the English side added a fourth goal through Schär (4-1, 90'+1).

At the end of a match as intense as it was difficult, Paris Saint-Germain lost to Newcastle, but still managed to hold on to second place in Group F ahead of the double-header against AC Milan. In the meantime, the Parisians return to domestic action on Sunday as they travel to Rennes in Ligue 1...