Newcastle have gotten off to an excellent start in their return to the Champions League, having picked up four points from the first two games.
A tough draw with AC Milan at the San Siro preceded a glorious thrashing of Paris Saint-Germain for Eddie Howe’s side, who are now top of their group.
However, things could have gone very differently, with Newcastle perhaps lucky to avoid defeat at Milan given the performance, and defender Dan Burn has now admitted that the Italian giants deserved to win the first group game.
Burn admits Newcastle were lucky
Speaking in an interview with Milan News, Burn claimed that whilst Newcastle did defend well, Milan deserved victory given their dominance in the game.
“Yes, they had the best opportunities while we didn’t create much,” he stated.
“Milan could have scored some goals but we have to say that we defended well. In the end we were happy and the Rossoneri were disappointed because maybe they knew they had to win.
“But a clean sheet at Milan in our first match after an absence in the Champions League of 20 years is more than fine for me.”
Good result
Given Milan’s dominance, Newcastle were lucky to escape with a draw, but that draw was an excellent result in the context of the group.
Newcastle are unbeaten in the group and are leading on four points, and now have a very strong chance of qualifying.
The PSG game showed that winning all three games at St James’ Park is very possible, and if Newcastle can do this, drawing away should be enough for qualification, even as group winners.
The Champions League comes with its own challenges, but Eddie Howe has so far navigated these superbly, and a place in the knockout rounds may be within touching distance if Newcastle can beat Borussia Dortmund in the next group fixture.
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