Newcastle United will face a Champions League play-off after a 1-1 draw against Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) at the Parc des Princes on Wednesday night. The result means Newcastle finished 12th overall in the mega-table, just one place behind PSG.

Newcastle's manager, Eddie Howe, stated that he would have accepted a play-off place at the beginning of the campaign. Howe admitted that the team had aimed for automatic qualification but would take each eventuality as it came.

The game began with PSG applying early pressure. PSG were awarded a penalty after a review. Nick Pope initially saved Ousmane Dembele's penalty, but Vitinha put the hosts ahead shortly after. Joe Willock's header in first-half stoppage time leveled the score for Newcastle. This was Willock's first goal in almost a year.

Despite the early pressure from PSG, Newcastle regrouped and found their rhythm. According to Pope, the team showed great character to come back into the game. In the second half, Newcastle had chances to win the game, with substitutes Anthony Gordon and Harvey Barnes making an impact.

Both Newcastle and PSG missed out on a top-eight finish, which would have guaranteed automatic qualification for the last 16. They will now both compete in the play-off round. Newcastle will face either Monaco or Qarabag in the play-offs.

Howe acknowledged the difficulty of needing a win in their final game and praised his team's effort to chase the win without risking a loss. He felt the team gave everything to finish in the top eight but now has to go another route.

The draw in Paris was a creditable result for Newcastle, especially considering they were without captain Bruno Guimaraes in the starting lineup. Dan Burn returned to the team after recovering from an injury sustained in December. Despite not securing automatic qualification, Newcastle demonstrated resilience and determination.