Newcastle United 4-1 PSG: Player ratings for the Parisians as Magpies stunned the French giants | UEFA Champions League 2023-24
Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) were dealt a huge blow at St. James' Park as Newcastle United beat them 4-1 in the Champions League on Wednesday night.
Luis Enrique's team had 74 percent possession but managed only two shots on target compared to Newcastle's eight.
Miguel Almiron opened the scoring for the Premier League side after 17 minutes as the Paraguayan latched onto the ball after Gianluigi Donnarumma parried away Aleksandar Isak's initial effort.
In the 39th minute, Dan Burn made it 2-0 for the Magpies after turning Bruno Guimaraes' cross into the net with a spectacular header. It wasn't originally given, but following a quick VAR check, the goal was allowed to stand.
Five minutes into the second half, Sean Longstaff added a third for the hosts with a ferocious effort that went under Donnarumma's dive.
Lucas Hernandez pulled one back for PSG in the 56th minute by flicking a deft header past Nick Pope as the Parisians' hopes were lifted.
However, the visitors' performance remained poor, and Newcastle stung them once again in stoppage-time as Fabian Schar made it 4-1 to put the final nail in PSG's coffin.
Eddie Howe's side were in dreamland, earning their biggest-ever victory in the Champions League, while also boosting their knockout hopes. PSG, meanwhile, suffered their biggest group-stage loss since September 2004.
On that note, here are the player ratings for PSG:
Gianluigi Donnarumma - 5/10
A torrid night for the PSG custodian, who was beaten four times at St. James' Park.
Achraf Hakimi - 6.5/10
The Moroccan full-back sped up a few times for his customary attacking runs but was visibly unsettled in defense as Newcastle looked to make the most of the space in behind.
Hakimi was also booked in the first half for dissent as the VAR looked at Newcastle's goal.
Marquinhos - 4.5/10
This has to be his worst performance of the year. Marquinhos was directly responsible for Newcastle's opening goal as it was his poor backpass that eventually led to it.
The Brazilian also played Burn onside in the build-up to their second.
Milan Skriniar - 5/10
Newcastle cut through him with the ease of a hot knife slicing through butter as Milan Skriniar's poor form continued.
Lucas Hernandez - 7.5/10
Probably the only bright spot in PSG's defense, Lucas Hernandez looked assured of himself and made some good runs forward too. He also scored a goal in the second half.
Manuel Ugarte - 7/10
The 22-year-old won eight ground duels and made three tackles for a decent showing in midfield.
Warren Zaire-Emery - 7/10
He was good at circulating the ball and assisted Hernandez's goal after brilliantly spotting his run.
Ousmane Dembele - 6.5/10
He worked hard, but Ousmane Dembele was all sizzle but no steak. The Frenchman completed just one of his passes, lost possession 19 times, and won only three of his 10 attempted ground duels.
Kylian Mbappe - 6/10
The PSG ace was largely kept under wraps by Newcastle which limited him to just one shot in the game, but that was also offside.
Randall Kolo Muani - 5/10
The Frenchman was a complete non-factor in the match, failing to make a single effort in the game and completing just nine passes in 57 minutes of action.
Goncalo Ramos - 5/10
Goncalo Ramos wasn't any better than Muani and he too didn't have a single shot on target in the game.
He tracked back a few times to help regain possession but offered nothing meaningful offensively.
Substitutes
Bradley Barcola (57' for Muani) - 6/10
He got into a duel with Miguel Almiron moments after stepping onto the pitch, forcing the Paraguayan to turn the ball into a corner.
Vitinha (64' for Ugarte) - 6.5/10
Vitinha circulated the ball well and made two harmless attempts at goal.