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Evening Standard
Evening Standard
Sport
Matt Verri

Newcastle 1-2 AC Milan: Magpies knocked out of Champions League as Rossoneri mount comeback

Newcastle's Champions League campaign came to an end as they fell to a 2-1 defeat against AC Milan.

The Magpies went into the final group-stage match knowing they needed to win at St James' Park, while also hoping that PSG failed to beat Borussia Dortmund in the other Group F encounter.

Both requirements were met at the halfway stage, with Joelinton's superb strike putting Newcastle in front and it goalless after 45 minutes in Germany.

The hopes of Eddie Howe's side improved further when Dortmund then took the lead, but PSG swiftly equalised and Newcastle then conceded themselves, as Christian Pulisic turned the ball home from close range with Milan's first shot on target of the match.

That set up a grandstand final half an hour, with both sides needing to find a winner, and Samuel Chukwueze did that late on barely a minute after coming on, as he bent a lovely finish into the far corner.

Samuel Chukwueze's late winner knocked Newcastle out of Europe (AP)

A draw would have been enough for Newcastle to at least drop into the Europa League, but their race was run as they finished bottom of the group, with Milan in third and PSG joining Dortmund in going through to the last-16 of the Champions League.

Goalkeeper Martin Dubravka shook off a bout of illness which had threatened his participation to retain his place in the team with striker Callum Wilson making his first start since damaging a hamstring during the 2-0 defeat at Dortmund on November 7.

Trippier curled a sixth-minute free-kick over Mike Maignan's crossbar after Pulisic had bundled Gordon to the ground as the Magpies maintained their early intensity, although the visitors with experienced striker Olivier Giroud providing a focal point, gradually eased their way into the game.

For all their dominance, Newcastle were struggling to create meaningful chances until Fikayo Tomori had to make a superbly-timed intervention on his own line to prevent Miguel Almiron from converting Joelinton's cross two minutes later.

Rafael Leao whipped a shot wide of Dubravka's left post after Yunus Musah had surged from deep to feed him as the visitors responded, before Maignan had to pluck Almiron's goal-bound header from under his crossbar after he had met Joelinton's inviting cross.

But it was the Brazilian who broke the deadlock when he ran on to Lewis Miley's lay-off and smashed a right-footed shot past the helpless Maignan and into the top corner before sprinting to the sideline to celebrate with Howe and assistant Jason Tindall as the stadium erupted.

Joelinto opened the scoring with a wonderful first-half finish (Getty Images)

The game descended into a scrappy affair with both sides struggling to retain possession as the half-time whistle approached, and it was the Magpies who ultimately headed for the dressing rooms much the happier.

Wilson picked out the keeper with two attempts and Gordon fired over from another with Newcastle looking to kill the game off as news that Dortmund had scored rippled around the stadium.

PSG's equaliser minutes later did little to quell the atmosphere, but spirits dropped with 59 minutes gone when the home defence failed to deal with Leao's left-wing cross and Giroud teed up former Chelsea midfielder Pulisic to level from close range.

A much-improved Milan were causing significantly more problems with Leao in particular a persistent threat, but substitute Alexander Isak sent a dipping shot over and Maignan had to make a superb save to tip Guimaraes' drive on to his crossbar two minutes later.

The woodwork came to Newcastle's rescue when Leao's shot came back off the post after Tino Livramento's error had sparked a pacy counter-attack, but there was no escape five minutes from time when Noah Okafor and Luka Jovic combined to set up fellow substitute Chukwueze to win it.

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