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It’s not quite hell any more, and Manchester United no longer look so tormented, but they do need salvation on Wednesday. Galasataray’s relatively new Rams Park stadium will be the stage for a definitive point in a season of hinge moments – at least, if Erik ten Hag’s side get through it, until the next one. United need victory to have any chance of getting through to the Champions League, but really know they need two in a row. The reason that has an importance for stakes beyond staying in the most prestigious competition is that such a key step can have an effect on everything that follows because of its significance. It is either confirmation that the team is on course or more serious cause for doubt. Ten Hag has endured a constant back-and-forth this season where the team has occasionally been convincing but results have never been consistent. Even some of the better victories have had that sense of only momentarily disguising the problems. The 3-0 win over Everton was a case in point because of how Sean Dyche’s side got at them before Marcus Rashford’s penalty. It has all left them in a situation that most clubs don’t get out of – but which isn’t quite impossible for United. They will be looking to become just the 10th club in Champions League history to get through the group stages having accumulated three points or fewer with just two games left. That’s just over two per cent of all 424 qualifiers since the group stage became the first round in 1994-95. It’s an awful lot to do, but there is at least some encouragement it’s possible. Four of the sides to have managed this have been in even worse positions. Three have been English, and two among their greatest rivals. Champions League miracle workers The nine teams that got through with three points or fewer with two games left Rosenborg 1996-97, three points Lyon 2000-01, three points Newcastle United 2002-03, three points Lokomotiv Moscow 2002-03, one point FC Porto 2004-05, two points Stuttgart 2009-10, three points Manchester City 2014-15, two points Arsenal 2015-16, three points Atalanta 2019-20, one point The question of whether they can do it in these games is of course connected to the far greater puzzle over whether it’s coming together for the season. This is another discussion that feels like it’s being repeated again and again – particularly when United go through a brief sequence of wins. The feeling from the outside has been that they’re just getting through it until the next disappointment, which Champions League elimination obviously would be; that the recent wins have been an illusory positive. The talk within, as has long been relayed, is that almost all of this is down to injuries and constant changes in personnel. There have nevertheless been misgivings about Ten Hag’s hardline approach with certain players, an overemphasis on fitness work and the fact that there is no real sense of the manager’s tactical idea. This is why doubts have persisted even around wins, and an otherwise admirable sense of defiance. Ten Hag, for his own part, would insist that a run of results will restore confidence which will make the team look more like what they’re supposed to. “It is good progress,” he said on the eve of the Galatasaray game. “You see we are stepping up, more stable, winning games so definitely there is progress from the first game.“ The Dutch coach believes that Kobbie Mainoo greatly helps that. There’s even a suspicion that his impact can end up being even more impressive and important than what it has been seen so far. Ten Hag is hopeful that Mainoo can be the Frenkie de Jong-style midfielder that he has been lacking since joining the club, and wants to see how a pairing with Mason Mount works. That could be crucial, although it is obviously a lot of pressure to put on a mere 18-year-old. It’s easy to forget now but one of the reasons that Ten Hag so pursued De Jong was because he feels the Dutch international is close to unique as a midfielder. Liverpool’s Ryan Gravenberch was actually one of very few who looked like he could have the qualities to be developed into a similar sort of player. Since Ten Hag couldn’t get either, though, the club went a completely different route with Casemiro. The Brazilian did offer a fine solution, but one that increasingly looks like it was a stop-gap. Ten Hag has been imagining his team going in another direction. Mainoo aids that. He has many of the same qualities as De Jong. He offers balance and that understanding of the way Ten Hag wants the team to move. Mainoo is certainly making good on the way coaches and scouts spoke about him when he was as young as 11. Youth cup opponents commented on how they’d never seen players so developed technically and mentally at Mainoo’s age. “Kobbie is so mature,” Ten Hag says now. It says even more that there is absolutely no concern about exposing him to Galatasaray’s infamous ferocious atmosphere. “No, we don’t have fear,” Ten Hag said. “If players are good enough then they are old enough.” The manner in which Mainoo immediately makes the formation fit should at least theoretically mean that Galatasaray won’t just cut through United in the way they did in the 3-2 win at Old Trafford. Reality can go another way, though, and involve a lot of unpredictables. It isn’t to question Mainoo’s superb ability to say it is maybe a reflection of where United are right now that there is so much responsibility on a teenager. A problem with United that precedes Ten Hag has also been the number of players or situations which look like a fix-all solution… but only for a brief period, because the issues are naturally much greater. Casemiro was one of them. Those with knowledge of the squad have commented on how “nothing seems to stick long-term”. Rashford looks elite “for a while”. Anthony Martial threatens a comeback “for a while”. A while might be all that is required right now, though, since United just need to get through this group to keep the season on track. That’s two weeks, set up by this one huge game. It is also a fixture loaded with all sorts of history and menace. United enlisted some of the players involved in that notorious 3-3 draw 30 years ago to speak about their experience before this game. The Champions League is a very different competition than it was then, though. This isn’t the Ali Sami Yen Stadium and this isn’t 1993. There is a familiarity from modern exposure which means very few venues carry that same level of intimidation. The main anxiety United might feel is the prospect of again failing, something that has been seen a few times this season. It is something else Ten Hag has been working on. He said: “You have to stay calm in your head and don’t get too emotional and control emotion, don’t give them anything, the referee as well, don’t give them a moment they can take, so you have to stay away from such moments. You have to make it your game. It is not that important how the opponent is playing, it is how you are playing. We will make a good plan and the players, they have to decide.” They could go some way in deciding how this entire season goes. Galatasaray vs Manchester United kicks off at 5.45pm on Wednesday. Coverage begins on TNT Sports 1 at 5pm Read More Deloitte predicts global revenues for women’s elite sport will top £1bn in 2024 Why Bruno Fernandes is the only choice as Man Utd captain Erik Ten Hag outlines how ‘calm’ Man Utd can negotiate Istanbul atmosphere Is Galatasaray vs Man United on TV? Kick-off time, channel and how to watch Champions League: What do Newcastle, Man Utd and Arsenal need to reach last 16? Bruno Fernandes excited for ‘amazing’ atmosphere at Galatasaray

Eddie Howe was left fuming after Paris St Germain denied Newcastle a priceless Champions League victory with a controversial stoppage-time penalty. The Magpies were heading for a famous 1-0 win at the Parc des Princes until Polish referee Szymon Marciniak awarded a spot-kick against Tino Livramento after a VAR review, allowing Kylian Mbappe to level in the eighth and final minute of added time. Howe, who said in a television interview that the official had been placed under “extreme” pressure by the PSG players, labelled a decision which cost his side two precious points “poor” in his post-match press conference. Asked if he felt a sense of injustice, the Newcastle boss said: “Yes, I do. It wasn’t the right decision in my opinion. “There are so many things to take into account at that moment, the speed first. It was a ricochet that when it is slowed down, looks completely different to the live event. “The ball hits his chest first, comes up and hits his hand. But his hand is not in an unnatural position, they [his hands] are down by his side, but he is in a running motion. “I feel it is a poor decision and it’s hugely frustrating for us as you know how little time there is left in the game. There is nothing we can do about it now.” The pivotal moment arrived in the fifth minute of stoppage time when Ousmane Dembele attempted to deliver the ball across the Newcastle penalty area and saw it hit Livramento’s side and rear up on to the underside of his arm. Mr Marciniak, who had earlier seen decisions not to award spot-kicks for an Anthony Gordon challenge on Achraf Hakimi and a shout for handball against teenager midfielder Lewis Miley upheld, was advised to review the incident and this time decided to award the penalty. The Magpies, who had taken a 24th-minute lead through Alexander Isak, defended it for grim life until the last-gasp controversy, although they needed Pope to be at his brilliant best on several occasions. They now need to beat AC Milan at home on December 13 and hope PSG do not win away to Borussia Dortmund to progress. Asked if that was something to cling on to, Howe, who celebrates his 46th birthday on Wednesday, said: “Yes, I think that’s absolutely right. In the next couple of days, that will become more relevant in our thoughts, I think. “When the draw came out, it was the ‘group of death’ and I don’t think many people gave us a chance of qualifying from it and sitting here now, I’m a little bit frustrated that it’s not in our hands because when I look back at the two Dortmund games, I felt we could have done better in those matches. “I don’t think it’s the time for that, I think it’s probably a time to be positive and to say that if we can beat Milan, then good things can happen from it.” For PSG boss Luis Enrique, there was a mixture of relief and frustration on a night when his side created a host of chances but were unable to take any of them until Mbappe’s late intervention. Enrique said: “Without a doubt, we played a very great game. We deserved to win. We played better than Newcastle. The result does not reflect what happened on the pitch. “It’s not basketball. We are one of the teams in Europe that scores the most. Sometimes the ball doesn’t want to go in. “Sometimes the game looked like table tennis. I couldn’t believe we couldn’t score, but we carried on despite the frustration.” Read More On this day in 2015: Great Britain end long wait for Davis Cup win Deloitte predicts global revenues for women’s elite sport will top £1bn in 2024 Alan Shearer blasts ‘disgusting’ penalty as Newcastle denied win in Paris First half was the worst I’ve seen us – Phil Foden savours thrilling fightback Beth Mead ‘smiling like a Cheshire cat’ on England return Rodrigo Bentancur set to be out until February after tearing an ankle ligament

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Football you cruel, wicked thing. For so long, it looked as though, as sure as the rain, a frustrated Paris Saint-Germain were set for a seventh defeat in nine against English opponents to leave their hopes of reaching the Champions League knockout stages in Newcastle’s hands. PSG threw everything at a bruised and battered Newcastle, but no matter how much they huffed and puffed they couldn’t break their curse. Their Champions League tale of woe was about to gain another chastening chapter. But sometimes battle-weary sides don’t always get what they deserve, as a Kylian Mbappe stoppage time penalty denied an injury-ravaged Newcastle a crucial victory in the cruellest fashion, with the help of the relentless villain of the piece: VAR. Newcastle fans around the city were in buoyant and rather philosophical mood ahead of the match, with no repeat of the clashes with PSG’s ultras on the eve of the encounter. They weren’t overly concerned about an impending defeat that would end their European adventure prematurely. Their depleted side surely did not have enough in the tank to best PSG on their own turf, not after they had put five past Monaco at the weekend. The Geordies, thousands of whom were ticketless, were in the French capital to have fun, regardless. Nothing gets the pulses racing like the modern-day phenomenon the traditionalists among us can really do without – the pre-match light show – and PSG’s was typically overextravagant. The home tifo game was strong, however, with Newcastle’s backline still thinking about the imagery as the match got under way and the hosts swarmed all over the startled group strugglers. Mbappe almost added a sublime finishing touch to an early slick move but was denied by Nick Pope in the away goal. PSG’s front three were breathing as one imposing beast. In the blink of an eye, however, Alexander Isak should have scored after being picked out by Miguel Almiron, only to quickly make amends by firing the visitors in front 24 minutes in, sending the away end into bewildered delirium. The opener owed much to the tenacity of Tino Livramento, who kept riding tackles, even as his feet seemed to be buckling with every step. Almiron shot for goal, Gianluigi Donnarumma made a mess of trying to palm the shot away and Isak was on hand to tap home – the Swede becoming the first Newcastle player since Alan Shearer against Inter Milan in 2003 to score an away Champions League goal. It was then a matter of settling in and doing what they could to get under the skin of their opponents – something that happens all too readily in these parts, especially against teams from across the Channel. Knowing there wasn’t cavalry of sufficient calibre on the bench to call upon to freshen things up, the visitors had to leave everything out there to complete their assassination of the Parisiens, and that is exactly what Eddie Howe got. Mbappe was the only one really looking like he had the ingenuity to unlock the resolute Geordie rearguard, missing an overhead kick early in the second half before sashaying his way into the penalty area to create an opening for Bradley Barcola, who had to score, only for Pope to fling out a hand to claw the ball away. Two big penalty appeals were waved away and the gesticulations turned into over-zealous protestations one too many times for the referee’s liking, earning several PSG players a caution. They were doing it again in Europe. A league double over the might of PSG – nobody saw this coming so soon into the Saudi regime. More pertinently, however, victory over AC Milan in their final group match in two week’s time and the knockout stages beckons. Mbappe flashed just wide right at the death, Ousmane Dembele, once the world’s second-most expensive player, was denied by another close-range Pope wondersave, while Barcola again fluffed his lines. It took a Livramento handball, spotted by VAR, to break Geordie hearts. Their knockout stage hopes are still alive, but it could, and should, have been so much more rosy. Read More Newcastle fans attacked in Paris before Champions League match On this day in 2015: Jamie Vardy scores in 11th game in a row Football rumours: Victor Osimhen keen on making Chelsea move The sporting weekend in pictures Chelsea’s Mauricio Pochettino reacts to 4-1 loss at Newcastle: ‘You blame yourself’ Erik ten Hag: Schedule has already crossed limits of what players can handle

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Former Newcastle skipper Alan Shearer has blasted the decision which handed Paris St German a Champions League get out of jail card against his home town club “disgusting” and “s***”. Shearer, the Magpies’ record goalscorer, voiced his frustration on social media after Polish referee Szymon Marciniak was asked to review his decision not to award a penalty when Ousmane Dembele’s cross hit Tino Livramento in the ribs and then hit the underside of his arm. The referee belatedly pointed to the spot. Kylian Mbappe, who had been denied repeatedly by goalkeeper Nick Pope and his defenders, made no mistake from 12 yards in the eighth minute of stoppage time at the Parc des Princes to secure a 1-1 draw. An unimpressed Shearer wrote on his X – formerly Twitter – account: “Do me a f****** favour man. What a load of s***t. “A superb battling away performance from every single player. Shouldn’t be spoilt by a disgusting decision. Well done @NUFC.” Shearer’s former Newcastle team-mate Shay Given was equally unhappy with the decision, which brought back memories of the night in Paris that Thierry Henry’s handball which went unnoticed and cost the Republic of Ireland a place at the 2010 World Cup finals. Given posted on X: “What a performance from the Toon. Terrible decision to give a penalty, not the first time I’ve left Paris with a controversial handball decision.” Former Newcastle and England striker Michael Owen also criticised the penalty decision and the way the handball rule is being interpreted. Owen wrote: “Heartbreaking for @NUFC. Such a good performance. Never in a million years is that a penalty. “We are further away from applying consistency to the handball rule than we’ve ever been.” TNT Sports pundit Ally McCoist branded Mr Marciniak’s decision “a disgrace”. McCoist said: “It comes off his chest, then hits his left elbow. If that’s a penalty, we might as well forget about it. “If we’re giving penalty kicks for that, it’s a disgrace. The whole night will be remembered by that decision.” Colleague Jermaine Jenas, who spent more than three years of his playing career at St James’ Park, added: “It is a shocking decision – not in any walk of life is that a penalty. What is meant to do with his arms – wrap them around his back? “I am fuming.” Read More Late penalty leaves Eddie Howe ‘hugely frustrated’ First half was the worst I’ve seen us – Phil Foden savours thrilling fightback Beth Mead ‘smiling like a Cheshire cat’ on England return Rodrigo Bentancur set to be out until February after tearing an ankle ligament Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink wants aspiring black managers to get ‘a fair chance’ Ronnie O’Sullivan reels off six successive frames to advance at UK Championship

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Newcastle boss Eddie Howe was left fuming after Paris St Germain denied Newcastle a priceless Champions League victory with a controversial stoppage-time penalty. The Magpies looked to be heading for a famous 1-0 win at the Parc des Princes as they battled their way through a second-half onslaught from the hosts until Polish referee Szymon Marciniak awarded a spot-kick against Tino Livramento after a VAR review, allowing Kylian Mbappe to level in the eighth and final minute of added time. Howe, who said in a television interview that the official had been placed under “extreme” pressure by the PSG players, labelled a decision which cost his side two precious points “poor” in his post-match press conference. I feel it is a poor decision and it’s hugely frustrating for us as you know how little time there is left in the game Newcastle boss Eddie Howe Asked if he felt a sense of injustice, he said: “Yes, I do. It wasn’t the right decision in my opinion. “There are so many things to take into account at that moment, the speed first. It was a ricochet that when it is slowed down, looks completely different to the live event. “The ball hits his chest first, comes up and hits his hand. But his hand is not in an unnatural position, they [his hands] are down by his side, but he is in a running motion. “I feel it is a poor decision and it’s hugely frustrating for us as you know how little time there is left in the game. There is nothing we can do about it now.” The pivotal moment arrived in the fifth minute of stoppage time when Ousmane Dembele attempted to deliver the ball across the Newcastle penalty area and saw it hit Livramento’s side and rear up on to the underside of his arm. Mr Marciniak, who had earlier seen decisions not to award spot-kicks for an Anthony Gordon challenge on Achraf Hakimi and a shout for handball against teenager midfielder Lewis Miley upheld, was advised to review the incident and this time decided to award the penalty. The Magpies, who had taken a 24th-minute lead through Alexander Isak, defended it for grim life until the last-gasp controversy, although they needed Pope to be at his brilliant best on several occasions. They now need to beat AC Milan at home on December 13 and hope PSG do not win away to Borussia Dortmund to progress. Asked if that was something to cling on to, Howe, who celebrates his 46th birthday on Wednesday, said: “Yes, I think that’s absolutely right. In the next couple of days, that will become more relevant in our thoughts, I think. “When the draw came out, it was the ‘group of death’ and I don’t think many people gave us a chance of qualifying from it and sitting here now, I’m a little bit frustrated that it’s not in our hands because when I look back at the two Dortmund games, I felt we could have done better in those matches. “I don’t think it’s the time for that, I think it’s probably a time to be positive and to say that if we can beat Milan, then good things can happen from it.” For PSG boss Luis Enrique, there was a mixture of relief and frustration on a night when his side created a host of chances but were unable to take any of them until Mbappe’s late intervention. Enrique said: “Without a doubt, we played a very great game. We deserved to win. We played better than Newcastle. The result does not reflect what happened on the pitch. “It’s not basketball. We are one of the teams in Europe that scores the most. Sometimes the ball doesn’t want to go in. “Sometimes the game looked like table tennis. I couldn’t believe we couldn’t score, but we carried on despite the frustration.” Read More First half was the worst I’ve seen us – Phil Foden savours thrilling fightback Beth Mead ‘smiling like a Cheshire cat’ on England return Rodrigo Bentancur set to be out until February after tearing an ankle ligament Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink wants aspiring black managers to get ‘a fair chance’ Ronnie O’Sullivan reels off six successive frames to advance at UK Championship ECB boss admits challenges remain for cricket after positive impact report

Phil Foden felt Manchester City were at their worst before recovering from 2-0 down to secure top spot in their Champions League group with a 3-2 win over Leipzig. The holders trailed to two breakaway Lois Openda goals at half-time of Tuesday’s clash at the Etihad Stadium. Foden sparked their recovery after the interval, teeing up goals for Erling Haaland and substitute Jeremy Doku either side of scoring a sublime effort himself. The England midfielder told TNT Sports: “First half was the worst I’ve seen us. Courage and motivation courage changed it around. This team has great mentality and it’s so nice to see. “We just needed that goal to get going. Even the fans were a lot louder after the goal. Once the first went in the motivation was there. We’ve got a great record at the Etihad and it only takes one goal to change things.” City’s victory not only made certain of preferential seeding in the last 16 for a seventh successive season but extended their English record unbeaten run in European competition to 19 games. Manager Pep Guardiola was pleased with that achievement but admitted concern about the performance. The Spaniard said: “If we talk about the qualification it is a great night. If we talk about the game, we could do better. “Sloppy goals – in football you have to win duels and it was quite similar against Chelsea. We were solid and now we’ve had two warnings already. “It’s the same up front. We’ve had chances and missed them. “But maybe for the future it’s good to win not comfortably, to show we are able to make a comeback. “When we scored early in the second half, 45 minutes was a long time for them. It was not easy because they defended really well and they were strong, but we are there. “Now we have five days to recover for the game against Spurs.” Leipzig’s display was a huge improvement on their 7-0 loss at the same venue last season and coach Marco Rose felt his side were unfortunate not to get more from the game. Rose said: “We knew we made them angry in the first half. It got more difficult. “If we kept the clean sheet a little bit longer, maybe then the chance would become bigger and bigger to win or to take something home, but at the end you need a little bit of luck and that is what we missed maybe. “We played a really good game, but this is City.” Read More Beth Mead ‘smiling like a Cheshire cat’ on England return Rodrigo Bentancur set to be out until February after tearing an ankle ligament Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink wants aspiring black managers to get ‘a fair chance’ Ronnie O’Sullivan reels off six successive frames to advance at UK Championship ECB boss admits challenges remain for cricket after positive impact report England’s Zach Mercer installs oxygen chamber at home to combat ankle injury