Bruno Guimaraes, the standout player for Newcastle United, couldn’t conceal his vexation following a contentious penalty decision that marred Tuesday night’s riveting Champions League clash against Paris Saint-Germain.
Despite Alexander Isak’s brilliant 24th-minute goal, the Magpies found themselves on the cusp of a historic 1-0 triumph at the Parc des Princes, only to see their hopes dashed by a dramatic penalty awarded to PSG in the sixth minute of added time.
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Referee Szymon Marcinia’s initial dismissal of PSG’s consistent penalty appeals underwent a startling about-face upon consulting the pitchside monitor. The subsequent conversion by Kylian Mbappe from the 12-yard mark fueled a storm of protest, worsened by video replays indicating that Ousmane Dembele’s cross had struck Tino Livramento’s upper arm.
This is a karma for Joelinton foul against Gabriel
never a penalty, but Newcastle fans’ tears will be satisfying
retweet to enjoy the tears pic.twitter.com/FdO94uaygi
— Koma (@koma_AFC) November 28, 2023
Guimaraes, unfiltered in his response, took to his official Instagram account, lamenting,
“Sometimes in life, you have to accept decisions that you know are wrong and not being able to do anything for that makes.”
In the aftermath during a post-match interview, the 26-year-old Brazilian bared his discontent. He passionately asserted that the ball initially made contact with Tino’s body.
“I thought we were good. In the first half we controlled the game and the second half they were better,” he said. “It’s hard to speak about what happened in the end. I am not happy with what happened. The ball touched Tino’s body first.
“We have to keep the faith, we still have one game at home. We hope our fans, as always, will create an amazing atmosphere. We know what we have to do. But I am proud. In his words,
“Everyone gave everything. We are proud, we did amazing. It’s not easy to come here and play. We showed an amazing attitude to win the game. We should win. Difficult but I’m proud of the guys. We can control our game but not the referee. As I said before, I am not happy with what happened but sometimes in life you have to accept these things and move on.”
“NÃO ENTENDI POR QUE BOTOU A TORCIDA DO BRASIL COM A DA ARGENTINA!” 🗣️🇧🇷 Em papo EXCLUSIVO com nossa @claalbuquerque, Bruno Guimarães falou sobre as cenas de violência no jogo das Eliminatórias e sobre não ter achado pênalti do PSG no empate com o Newcastle hoje. #CasaDaChampions pic.twitter.com/oxZmv4ixud
— TNT Sports BR (@TNTSportsBR) November 28, 2023
While expressing disappointment, Guimaraes urged the team to maintain faith, emphasizing pride in their commendable effort and attitude. He acknowledged the challenge of playing at Parc des Princes and expressed pride in the team’s resilience. Yet, he conceded the team’s inability to control the referee’s decisions, emphasizing the need to accept and move forward despite dissatisfaction.
🗣️ ‘I’m proud of our team.” pic.twitter.com/p70nBmhRKo
— Newcastle United FC (@NUFC) November 29, 2023
The road to Champions League knockout stages for Newcastle now hinges on outperforming PSG in the final Group F fixture next month. Eddie Howe’s side faces AC Milan at St James’ Park while PSG travels to Borussia Dortmund.
On this Guimaraes remained resolute, rallying the team with a call to pride, stating, “I believe a lot we can win against AC Milan, and then we’ll see if we go through.” The outcome, he asserted, was still within reach for a team that had given their all for the shirt, the city, the owners, and the gaffer.
