After the fifth round of the 2023-24 UEFA Champions League (UCL) Group F match between Paris Saint-Germain and Newcastle United at the Paris Stade de France on the 29th (Korea time), Newcastle United legend Alan Shearer tweeted, “All the players performed well,” and criticized, “The game should not have been ruined by a disgusting decision.”
The scene in question came in the second half of extra time when Newcastle United led 1-0. The ball that hit Usman Dembele’s foot was deflected off Newcastle United defender Valentino Livramento.
In the slow picture, he was hit by Livramento’s stomach and touched his elbow, and the referee ruled a penalty kick after an on-field review. Kylian Mbappe, who played as a kicker, scored a penalty kick and the game ended 1-1.
The British Daily Mail criticized the referee’s decision on the front page of the online news with the headline, “Tooon stolen in Paris.” 안전놀이터
Newcastle United, which lost three points, became third in Group F, ahead of AC Milan with five points. Borussia Dortmund confirmed its advance to the round of 16 with 10 points, while Paris Saint-Germain is second with seven points.
Therefore, Newcastle United will fall in the group stage if Paris Saint-Germain catches Dortmund, even if they beat AC Milan in the final match.
After the match, Newcastle United manager Eddie Howe said, “It felt unfair. I don’t think it was the right decision. There were too many things to consider. Livramento was running.”
“I have to control myself anyway, and that’s part of my job. It’s never good to be too angry,” he said. “But I know how the decision has affected players’ performance. I feel bad because of the players. Our fate is no longer in our hands.”
On the other hand, the Paris Saint-Germain squad also agreed that the match should have been won. Paris Saint-Germain had no field goal even after recording 31 shootings. The team has 72 percent of possession rate and an expected score of 4.59 points.
Mbappe said, “I’m disappointed. Our players have to try much more systematically. I also had a chance to score and I had to score a goal. Everyone with eyes saw that we were dominating the game. It’s up to us to become reality at the end. I’ll prepare to win against Dortmund.”
“There are days when goals are not scored,” defender Luca Hernandez said. “We have no excuses. It is up to us that we can continue to play (in the Champions League). If we beat Dortmund, we will rank No. 1 in the group.”
“It was a difficult game and I think we played a good game,” Milan Shkrinier said. “Everything is in our hands now. We have to win against Dortmund. It will not be easy, but we are a strong team and we can do it.”
Meanwhile, Lee started the game and played 82 minutes. According to soccer statistics firm Footmob, Lee had a pass success rate of 93 percent (66/71), six passes in attack areas and one chance creation.
Most of all, he displayed active participation in the defense. He assisted the defense with a tackle success rate of 50 percent (2/4), interception twice, recovery seven times, and successful ball competition four times.
Footmob gave Lee Kang-in a 7.3 rating, the fourth-highest score among the starting players after Kylian Mbappe, Usman Dembele and Fabien Ruiz.