Group of Death showdown – Champions League respect for Newcastle United | OneFootball

Tonight in the Champions League.

The culmination of eight months.

The Group of Death showdown tonight in Dortmund.

Borussia Dortmund hosting PSG on Wednesday night for a place in the Champions League final that will be played at Wembley.

Both drawn in the Group of Death at the end of August 2023, they play each other in the first leg of the semi-finals tonight, then next Tuesday (7 May) it is the second leg of the semi-final in Paris.

Everybody accepted that Newcastle United had been handed the toughest possible draw at the end of August 2023. Drawn against PSG, AC Milan and Borussia Dortmund.

The proverbial Group of Death producing a fascinating set of matches with such fine margins in play.

Newcastle United, despite a horrendous number of missing players, were only minutes away from qualifying for the Champions League last 16 in their final group game, but those fine margins went against them in the end, their sixth group match summing that up.

With of course an outrageous very late penalty decision having cheated NUFC out of almost certain progress, with PSG and Mbappe gifted a lifeline to draw against Newcastle in that fifth round of group matches.

It simply wasn’t to be.

However, we are seeing just how well Newcastle United did in being so competitive in this Champions League campaign.

The two clubs that did qualify for the last 16 from Newcastle’s group, now ending up with both in the semi-finals AND one of them in the final for sure.

Last night in Munich, Bayern Munich and Real Madrid played out an exhilarating 2-2 draw, their second and deciding leg is played next Wednesday (8 May) in Madrid.

As for Newcastle United fans and the two clubs from our Group of Death, I think fair to say the overwhelming majority of NUFC supporters will be rooting for Borussia Dortmund.

The experience this season for sure, is that as a club and as a fanbase, Borussia Dortmund are a different class to PSG.

Absolutely bizarre, the two clubs from Newcastle United’s group in the semi-finals and one of them will definitely play in the final. Anybody who claims NUFC’s Group of Death wasn’t an incredibly tough challenge and Newcastle United doing so well to do what they did in the circumstances, they’ve very wide of the mark

I have no idea whether two clubs from the same Champions League group have previously both got to the semi-finals but certainly unique this season. Indeed Newcastle United’s group was the only one to produce more than one club that got to the quarter-final stage.

I said before these quarter-finals that I had  a very strong feeling that PSG could go all the way this time, not only reach the final but actually win it.

Life can be cruel.

I am quite detached from this BUT at the same time I think, this is PSG who Newcastle United hammered 4-1.

Also, PSG who Newcastle were cheated out of beating them in Paris, due to that absolutely shocking very late penalty decision.

If that shocking decision hadn’t happened in Paris, then Newcastle United would have been all but qualified for the knockout stages and indeed, they would have only needed a draw in the final game against AC Milan. Which I am 100 per cent sure would have been achieved if that had been the case. Which would of course have also meant PSG heading out at the group stage…

I think that is why we love football so much AND hate it at the same time.