Eddie Howe and Luis Enrique had contrasting emotions after the 1-1 draw in Paris.
Newcastle United are showing they belong in the Champions League, manager Eddie Howe said after their 1-1 draw with holders Paris Saint-Germain, whose boss Luis Enrique conceded they must improve.
PSG were the heavy favourites to prevail at the Parc des Princes and claim a spot in the top-eight of the league phase table, which brings with it automatic progression to the last 16.
But instead, they and Newcastle will each face a two-legged tie in the playoff round after the Magpies showed hugely impressive resilience to claim a point.
PSG were awarded a highly contentious penalty from their first attack when Lewis Miley was ruled to have deliberately handled in the area despite the ball initially deflecting off the arm of Bradley Barcola.
Nick Pope sprang to Newcastle’s rescue as he saved from Ousmane Dembele, but Vitinha fired PSG ahead with a trademark strike from the edge of the area.
Yet, even with captain Bruno Guimaraes left on the bench as he recovers from an ankle injury, a Newcastle team that also started without Champions League talismen Anthony Gordon and Harvey Barnes fought back excellently, and Joe Willock nodded them level in first-half stoppage time.
Gordon and Barnes entered the fray in the second half and the latter had two glorious chances to win it late on, but Newcastle were left to settle for a draw that means they and PSG are paired together as seeds in the playoff round. They will face either Monaco or Qarabag in the playoff round.
Howe: Newcastle belong at this level
Howe, though, was rightly impressed with his side’s showing.
“I think we’re showing [we belong],” Howe said. “We’ve been pleased with what we’ve delivered. There’s a slight frustration we haven’t been able to get over the line in some games. But this is the real acid test for us, coming here against the holders of the competition. I thought we performed really well.
“We went all out to try and win the game. We chased it as much as we could without leaving us the possibility of losing. We tried everything we could to try to make the top eight.
“It’s such an unbelievable competition to be in and we never take it for granted. We want to appreciate it, and the work we’ve put into getting here we don’t want to throw it away.
“We do have a good squad. We made changes today that we needed to make. We might need to make some more for Liverpool because in no time at all we’re back at Anfield.”
Luis Enrique: PSG must improve
PSG came through the playoff round en route to winning the Champions League for the first time last season.
But it was another disappointing performance from Luis Enrique’s men in a season in which their usual domestic dominance has come under threat.
And Luis Enrique accepted PSG are not operating at the required levels.
“It’s always difficult when you have expectations to be in the top eight,” he told TNT Sports.
“We deserved to win the match, not with a big gap, but I have to say Newcastle is a very good side. They played great with set-pieces. But we need to improve.”
