Wednesday night Champions League matchups simply have a distinct vibe than any other kind of contest. Yesterday’s fixtures saw some interesting results, with many teams either qualifying for the next round or being knocked out of the competition.
Paris Saint-Germain had a crucial match against newcomers Newcastle United, which ended in a 1-1 draw with some controversial decisions. Newcastle fans in the city were even attacked by the PSG ultras before the match. However, there was one other controversial incident that happened on the pitch.
Mbappe ditches armband in PSG clash
PSG hosted Newcastle United at their home in the Parc des Princes, and after losing away to the Magpies 4-1, they wanted revenge badly.
Brazilian defender Marquinhos is the captain of the team but was unable to play in yesterday’s match due to an injury he has sustained. As a result, Kylian Mbappe, who is already the captain of the French national team, was wearing the captain’s armband in the match.
As the team were battling a 1-0 deficit in the last minutes, Mbappe seemed to do something peculiar. The Frenchman was seen not wearing the armband on his sleeve during the ending period of the game, though he had worn it initially. None of the other players on the pitch were found to wear it as well, and the only explanation was that it either fell and got lost or Mbappe removed it for some reason.
Darren Fletcher, who was covering the game for TNT Sports, noticed the same and offered his explanation as to why he may have done so. He said that Mbappe may be a bit superstitious, “Not sure what Mbappe’s done with the captain’s armband but he hasn’t got it on anymore, whether it’s superstition or not.”
“He’s got rid of it and nobody else has got one out there. Of course, it’s Marquinhos who’s the captain here, Mbappe wearing the armband because he’s not available.”
Newcastle furious after last-minute penalty decision in PSG clash
PSG had to desperately avoid defeat in today’s match if they wanted to advance from the ‘Group of Death.’ Instead, the Parisians were not on their best form, conceding a goal in the 24th minute from Aleksander Isak. From there on, the Magpies tried their best to hold off the relentless PSG attack.
However, in the last minutes, PSG were awarded a penalty after it was deemed that Newcastle defender Tino Livramento handled the ball inside the penalty box from a Ousmane Dembele cross. Referee Szymon Marciniak was initially not giving a penalty call, but VAR determined that it was. After the match, many have said that it was a wrong decision and even the VAR in charge has been removed from the next game.
Manager Eddie Howe was furious about the controversial penalty and said, “It wasn’t the right decision in my opinion. There are so many things to take into account at that moment, the speed first.” Legendary Newcastle striker Alan Shearer even labelled it as ‘disgusting’.
PSG is currently second in their group with 7 points, while Newcastle are 3rd with 5 points. PSG will now focus on their league game against Le Havre on Sunday.
