Newcastle held Milan to a draw in the Champions League 'death' group
As a guest in Italy - a place once famous for its defensive football philosophy, Newcastle impressed with its ability to... "pour concrete". On the San Siro field on the evening of September 19, the English football representative controlled the ball 48%, finished four times, but succeeded in gaining a point on the opponent's field. Meanwhile, host Milan launched 19 shots.
The home team did not take long to put pressure on Newcastle's goal. In the 13th and 14th minutes, goalkeeper Nick Pope had to save three times in a row for the English team against Pobega's long shot, Samuel Chukwueze's close-range header and Olivier Giroud's cushion.
Milan is also unlucky in good situations. In the 19th minute, Theo Hernandez headed the ball wide from seven meters, but the ball found its way to the goalkeeper. Not long after, Giroud missed the second chance with a close-range cushion that missed the post. However, their teammate Rafael Leao was the most disappointing player in the first half. After dribbling the ball into the penalty area, the Portuguese star slipped during the heel strike and fell to the ground.
Newcastle was almost unable to attack in the first half. It wasn't until the 41st minute that the away team finished, but missed the target.
After the break, Milan focused more on finishing from outside the penalty area. However, the home team's shots often went into Pope's hands, went over the bar, or turned on the defense. In the 73rd minute, Leao continued to be the player who missed Milan's best opportunity. The star wearing shirt number 10 headed Alessandro Florenzi's cross, but narrowly missed the goal.
Newcastle even almost won all three points in the 90+5 minute. After a midfield counterattack, Sean Longstaff shot wide from 17 meters. However, Milan's substitute goalkeeper, Marco Sportiello, was able to reflexively push the ball over the bar.
The goalless draw left Milan and Newcastle ranked second and third after the first round of Group F, which is considered the "death" group in the Champions League this season. In the same match, PSG won 2-0 against Dortmund and took the lead. In the next round, Milan will be away to Dortmund, while Newcastle will host PSG.
