Newcastle United fans took more of an interest in this year's Champions League than usual with Geordie supporters knowing their side will be in the draw for the 2023/24 competition come August.
In a game that was far from a spectacle, fans were offered a glimpse of the standard that Newcastle must now adhere to starting in autumn. Manchester City won the game without being at their best, but unfancied Inter Milan could easily have caused what would have been a shock on the night in Istanbul.
Newcastle will need to be equipped to face teams like Inter that will suffocate the life out of teams. And if anybody in the Premier League had their feathers ruffled by Newcastle's so-called "dark arts" this season, it was nothing compared to what teams face against top La Liga and Serie A sides where time-wasting and gamesmanship are rife.
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Going back to Saturday, Inter, who stopped City playing, struck the woodwork and had good chances on the night with City stumbling over the line thanks to Rodri's winner. Yet City have made their own luck in the competition, sweeping aside Real Madrid to pick up their first trophy.
What's worth remembering is that it has taken City since 2008 to reach true greatness on the European stage. Their early Champions League campaigns were poor and it took them two seasons to qualify at all for the elite competition at all.
Since then they've even been knocked out at the semi-final stage by Tottenham Hotspur at one point and lost the 2021 final to Chelsea. For all the money and the presence of a world class coach in Pep Guardiola, it's been incredibly difficult - but that's the level to aspire to.
City's European journey may serve as a warning for Newcastle as they enter the competition as the lowest seeds and are guaranteed some of the big guns in the group stage. Of course, the United faithful - who have been craving Europe for a decade - won't care who they draw, and it will be a case of the bigger the better for many as they eye a glamour trip.
The critical thing for Newcastle is that they are on an upward trajectory and they have reached the promised land a lot earlier than Man City did after their Abu Dhabi United Group takeover 15 years ago. But as fans enjoy Newcastle's journey, club officials like CEO Darren Eales and sporting director Dan Ashworth have an eye on the bigger picture behind the scenes.
Guardiola summed it up on Saturday night as he wiped the champagne off his face and said: "Now we have the first and the people can say ‘Manchester City have already the first Champions League’. But I don’t want after one Champions League to disappear.
"So, we have to work harder in the next few years, next season and be there. There are teams who win the Champions League after one or two seasons and disappear. We have to avoid it.
"Knowing where we’ve been this is not going to happen. But at the same time, I have to admit it is a big relief for the club, and for everyone, we have this trophy."
To even be in the Champions League conversation is more than enough for Newcastle fans at the moment. The challenge ahead will be intriguing but it will also be a reeducation on Europe after so long out of UEFA competition.
