Paris Saint-Germain and Newcastle faced off this Wednesday at the Parc des Princes in Matchday 8 of the 2025-2026 Champions League. The match ended in a 1-1 draw. After the match, Newcastle manager Eddie Howe spoke at a press conference.
Howe: “It was difficult to manage.”
Is it almost a victory after a poor start?
There’s a lot to take away from this match for the future, with resilience, courage, and quality. We had to come back from a difficult situation. They were a very good team. There was a harsh penalty against us, and we think we should have been given one, so it was difficult to manage. We attacked very well in the second half, we created chances. It was a very good performance.
What was the game plan at kickoff?
It’s a system we’ve used before; you could say it’s a plan B. We have several systems. We executed the plan well, with transitions we could have used that could have allowed us to win.
Howe: “They’re a great team, so it was a superb performance from us.”
Does this evening give you strength for what’s to come, with the playoff?
Yes, we wanted to win, but we couldn’t. We’ll have to go through the playoff, after a great performance against one of the best teams. We reacted to the goal, we made tactical changes. It was a good evening.
A word on PSG’s performance?
They are very, very strong. Especially at the beginning, it was very difficult. They have very technical players in midfield, a lot of speed. It was difficult to respond. They’re a great team, so it was a superb performance from us.
Howe: “We need consistency.” “
Frustrating refereeing, especially regarding the penalty against you or the one that wasn’t awarded?
Probably the one that wasn’t given. We can debate the first one, but if it was a penalty, then the second one should be too. I don’t think the first one was a penalty. It wasn’t a reaction from the player; he wasn’t playing the ball. There needs to be consistency after that, though. So, well done to the players, who stayed focused. They showed a great mentality.
Were you able to exploit the spaces well? Was it a surprise to exploit a weakness so effectively?
That was the purpose of the substitutions at that point in the match. It was part of the game plan. PSG plays a very high line. I’m happy to see that we were able to do it, even if I would have liked us to finish some chances better.”
