UCL SEEDING CHAOS: WHY PSG FINISHING 11TH AND NEWCASTLE 12TH CHANGES THE ENTIRE BRACKET
PSG and Newcastle are forced into the playoffs after a 1-1 draw at the Parc des Princes proves useless for both sides.
UEFA didn’t really earn it, but the last night of the Champions League group stage still delivered chaos—mostly because of those annoying safety nets.
On one side, you had Jose Mourinho’s Benfica knocking out Real Madrid 4-2. Their goalkeeper scored in the 98th minute, stealing the last playoff spot and leaving Marseille heartbroken. Meanwhile, PSG and Newcastle were locked in a wild back-and-forth. Both teams hovered right around the cutoff zone for automatic qualification—the top eight.
In the end, both missed out. Sporting and Chelsea scored late winners somewhere else, shuffling the table and leaving PSG and Newcastle on the outside looking in.
For a good chunk of the second half, though, it looked like PSG’s 1-1 draw would be enough. They clung to eighth place, just barely edging out Newcastle thanks to a tiebreaker.
That shaped the entire second half. Newcastle played with urgency, knowing only a win would save them. PSG, not sure whether to go for it or play it safe, ended up stuck in the middle—never fully committing to either.
It didn’t start that way. Early on, Newcastle fans probably felt a familiar sinking feeling. VAR ruled Lewis Miley handled the ball in the box. It looked like ball-to-hand, honestly, and even more cruel since it bounced off Bradley Barcola’s arm first.
Didn’t matter, though—Nick Pope guessed right and saved Ousmane Dembele’s penalty. Relief, but only for a few minutes. Vitinha, who’s made a habit of tormenting English teams, smashed one in soon after.
At that point, it looked like PSG would just steamroll Newcastle and lock up their top-eight spot.
But Newcastle hung in there. They survived those early blows and started to grow into the match. PSG slowed things down, maybe too much, and Newcastle found their rhythm. The equaliser came right before halftime: PSG’s defence couldn’t handle Dan Burn (and his somehow memorable eyebrows) or Joe Willock, who nodded in the header to make it 1-1.
Later on, Eddie Howe rolled the dice. Sometimes it’s actually simpler when you know you have to win—no second-guessing if a draw is good enough.
By the time PSG realised they needed a goal, the switch was stuck. Newcastle smelt blood. Anthony Gordon came off the bench and absolutely tormented Marquinhos, sprinting down the wing again and again.
Harvey Barnes had the golden chance that Gordon created, sliced it wide, and got flagged offside. But replays showed if he’d scored, VAR would’ve given the goal.
It was entertaining, no doubt. But results elsewhere meant a draw was useless for both teams.
So PSG finish 11th, and Newcastle 12th. They end up in the same playoff section, both set to face either Monaco or Qarabag for a shot at Chelsea or Barcelona in the last 16.
The play-off draw happens in Nyon on Friday.
MARTIN ODEGAARD AND KAI HAVERTZ MISS FINAL TRAINING; CHAMPIONS LEAGUE HOPES FADING
Arsenal's Champions League hopes are in doubt as Martin Odegaard and Kai Havertz miss final training ahead of the Atletico tie.
Martin Odegaard and Kai Havertz didn’t show up for Arsenal’s open training on Monday, just a day before the crucial Champions League semi-final second leg against Atletico Madrid. Both missed Saturday’s comfortable 3-0 win over Fulham because of injuries: Odegaard with his knee and Havertz with a muscular problem.
Odegaard hurt his knee in last week’s draw with Atletico, while Havertz hasn’t played since picking up an issue against Newcastle. After beating Fulham, Mikel Arteta sounded confident they’d be ready for Atletico, but on Monday neither player was seen with the first team. That’s a big hint they won’t be involved at the Emirates.
Arteta is set to speak to the media soon, though don’t expect him to spill much; he’s known for keeping his cards close to his chest when it comes to team news.
There were a couple more missing faces at London Colney. Jurrien Timber (groin) and Mikel Merino (foot) were also absent. Timber hasn’t featured since before the international break, and it’s unclear when he’ll return, but Arsenal hope it’s before the end of the season. Merino’s been out nearly three months since foot surgery. He might not play again this month.
On the upside, Bukayo Saka was back in training after getting subbed at halftime against Fulham, where he started his first Premier League game since mid-March.
Now, Arsenal really have a headache. Odegaard, who scored 15 goals last season, just hasn’t looked the same. Staff are increasingly worried about him; he’s missed 25 games in all competitions this year, thanks to a pileup of injuries: two freak shoulder issues, two muscular injuries, and the recurring knee problem. When he’s fit, Odegaard can still make magic happen; just look at his four assists across six games in January, but right now, his body keeps letting him down.
Havertz’s story isn’t much brighter. He’s managed only 20 appearances this season, mostly because of a serious knee injury in the summer and more muscle problems afterward. He’s Arsenal’s top earner at £280,000 a week, while Odegaard sits fourth at £240,000. Having two high-paid players sidelined so often is not ideal, and Arsenal need answers.
To try to sort out this ongoing injury crisis, Arteta has reportedly brought in a trusted expert from the medical field to lead an investigation. Arsenal hope this move finally sheds some light on their troubled injury record.
DECLAN RICE ACCUSES REFEREE OF CRUMBLING UNDER PRESSURE IN MADRID PENALTY DRAMA
Arsenal head to the Emirates with a 1-1 draw, but Declan Rice is fuming over the officiating standards in the Champions League.
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Declan Rice didn’t hold back after Arsenal’s 1-1 draw in Madrid, backing Mikel Arteta’s outrage and insisting the team deserved a “clear” penalty. He even went so far as to say that Atlético Madrid’s fans pushed the referee, Danny Makkelie, into changing his mind.
Arteta was livid. Late in the first leg of the Champions League semifinal, Makkelie first pointed to the spot for Arsenal after Eberechi Eze went down. But surrounded by Diego Simeone’s wild sideline antics and the roar of 70,000 Atleti supporters, Makkelie stared at the replay 13 times, then flipped his call and waved play on.
Looking back on it, Rice couldn’t believe it. “It’s a clear penalty,” he said. “I don't know how that's not been given. I think the fans got to him and changed his mind. UEFA is just a different world. In both boxes, you have to be so careful because referees call everything.”
Arsenal ran into trouble with VAR twice. First, the ref ruled Ben White handled a Llorente volley, and Julián Álvarez buried the resulting penalty, cancelling out Viktor Gyökeres’ earlier spot-kick. Rice felt for White. Talking with Stan Sport, he said, “If that happens in the Premier League, it doesn’t get given. The ball’s hardly off the ground, and it’s not even on target. But in the Champions League, the refs make these snap calls and whistle for everything. It’s just more strict. But whatever, we move on. We want to beat them next week.”
Despite the drama, Arsenal is still in a solid spot. They’ll head back to London, hoping the home crowd can push them into their first Champions League final since 2006. Bukayo Saka, freshly back from an Achilles injury, is counting on it. “We’d have liked to win, but we’ll take the draw. It’s halftime, and we’re full of confidence going back to the Emirates,” he said. “I’m sure the atmosphere will be even bigger, and that will give us a real boost.”
Before that return leg, Arsenal face Fulham at home on Saturday. They could put more heat on Manchester City by stretching their Premier League lead, though City still has games in hand and plays Everton next. The race is on.
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