The Athletic

For a moment on Wednesday night, Newcastle United, dead to dream.

Pulled back by Myelichael's John.

Oh, dear me.

Pick that one out.

But their dreams of Champions League progress ended in failure

as A.C. Mila mounted a second half comeback to knock Eddie

Hale's men out of Europe.

Played on here.

It's a goal.

It's Chukwezi off the bench and it could be a heartbreaker in Europe for Newcastle.

Newcastle's focus will now be to get back into the competition via the Premier League,

despite missing key players due to injury and Sandra Tonali, the player they signed from ASEMilan, suspended till next season.

So, coming up, why did Newcastle's European campaign fail?

What's happening with Tanali and what room for maneuver did they have in January?

I'm Ayahuakim Alare. Welcome to the Athletic Football Podcast.

Alongside me for this, we have the Athletics Newcastle United writer Chris Woff and also our Italian football writer James Horncastle.

Right, Chris, what is the reaction after what has been a roller coaster of a Champions League campaign for Newcastle?

Well, I think that everyone associated with Newcastle United are still trying to digest what has happened.

It was for so long, I mean, they started the campaign obviously so well, beat PSG in that famous night.

And at that point, all possibilities seem endless, really.

It seemed like a go and win the group and win the so-called group of death. Win the tournament. With the tournament, yeah, James Lassidy. It felt like teams were come to St. James's Park and the energy that was there, how could any team compete with that? But they had a sucker punch of two, a back-to-back defeats against Dortmund, where really they were schooled a little bit in the Champions League. They then go to Paris and they're on course for another famous victory. It's the second half. It's backs against the wall. PSJ have chance after chance. Don't take them that controversial penalty. But then still, even after that late equalizer, the castle of still, their destiny isn't in their own hands, but if they win and then PSG have to go to Dortmund and win. And then during the match itself last night, you have things coming through. Dortmund have scored, wow, this is possible. PSG have equalized, PSG have taken the lead, that's being cancelled. It was just every single, it was the cliched roller coaster promotions all the way through the game last night, and I don't think anyone is still fully processed. I think the fact that at one stage, Newcastle were going through to the last 16, and then obviously they've ended with nothing. I think that's why it's so, so difficult. There's pride in what Newcastle have achieved, but also just utter devastation, really, that actually it turned out that they did finish the fourth seeds in the group as there were initially.

...