Paris Saint-Germain qualified for the knockout stages of the Champions League after a 1-1 draw against Borussia Dortmund, while Newcastle lost to AC Milan in the other match of the band.
In danger of elimination from the group stage for the first time since the arrival of Qatari owners in 2011, PSG managed to snatch the point necessary to qualify as second in Group F.
Borussia Dortmund finished at the top of the group, ahead of PSG thanks to a better record in direct confrontations. Milan finished third, behind PSG, and Newcastle finished last.
Karim Adeyemi opened the scoring at the start of the second half for Dortmund, but young Warren Zaire-Emery equalized for PSG, who reached the playoffs for the 12th consecutive season.
Despite this result, PSG’s timid performance against an irregular Dortmund raises questions about the chances of Luis Enrique’s team to go much further on the European scene.
By finishing on top, Dortmund will avoid several tournament favorites, including title holders Manchester City, Real Madrid and Bayern Munich, in the round of 16.
Both teams surprisingly failed to score in an intense first half, both missing several incredible chances.
Dortmund knew they would finish top of the group by avoiding defeat, but Edin Terzic’s men attacked, creating several chances while leaving space for PSG’s speedy attackers.
Marco Reus and Marius Wolf approached the goal at the start of the match, until PSG woke up, cornering Dortmund on its ropes, without however managing to deliver a decisive blow.
Lee Kang-in missed a golden opportunity after just fifteen minutes of play, and Mbappé came even closer just after.
The 2018 world champion rounded Gregor Kobel and shot towards goal, but defender Niklas Süle flew through the air to intercept the ball inches from the line.
Dortmund then missed a couple of golden chances, with Reus and Adeyemi both shooting wide.
With news of Newcastle’s half-time advantage, PSG went in search of the first goal, with Mats Hummels putting his body on the line to stop Mbappé early in the second half.
However, it was the home side who struck first, with Niclas Fuellkrug providing a superb pass to Adeyemi to open the scoring.
With PSG on the verge of elimination, Mbappé took the team on his shoulders, dribbling down the left flank and getting rid of his opponent before crossing, but the ball was deflected towards Zaire-Emery, who advanced towards the goal before hitting.
Mbappé looked to have sealed PSG’s qualification late on by scoring just over ten minutes from time, but the goal was ruled out for offside after a VAR check.
Overall, it was an intense and thrilling match, which saw PSG narrowly qualify for the knockout stages, while Dortmund finished top of the group. Fans of both teams are now preparing for new and exciting challenges in the next round of the Champions League.