AC Milan 0-0 Newcastle United: Geordies earn draw on UEFA Champions League return as Rossoneri rue wasteful finishing

Newcastle will return to Tyneside with a valuable away point from their first UEFA Champions League game in 20 years after earning a 0-0 draw at AC Milan, while the Rossoneri will feel they could and should have got more.

The home side dominated both first and second halves at San Siro. Eight shots on target to one for Newcastle told much of the story.

As the Rossoneri got into the game, the visitors began to struggle, giving the ball away repeatedly in midfield and calling goalkeeper Nick Pope into action multiple times.

Rafael Leao had the best chance of both halves. In the first, while facing away from goal, the Portuguese player latched onto a long ball in the Newcastle box before turning and going on a mazy run.

All he had to do was get off a simple shot, but instead he tried a complicated backheel and the chance was gone. As Milan's efforts repeatedly came to nothing, they were visibly frustrated, lashing out physically at Newcastle's players, verbally at the referee. Three yellow cards for the home side, compared to none for Newcastle, told a different version of the story of the evening.

In the second 45, Leao again came closest, getting a flicked header onto an inswinging cross from substitute Alessandro Florenzi. Newcastle nearly snatched the victory in second half stoppage time, striding forward with Almiron and provoking panic in the Milanese defence. Alimiron slid the ball across to Anderson who teed up Longstaff for a long shot that substitute goalkeeper Marco Sportiello had to tip over the bar with his fingertips. The game was destined to end goalless but one team will be happier with that outcome than the other.

Newcastle could have crumbled in the face of the big occasion, especially against one of the biggest teams in the history of the sport, but they didn’t. They faced down 90 minutes of almost unrelenting Milan attacks, which began barely 10 minutes into the game, and earned themselves a very valuable point.

Knowing they were viewed as the underdogs, Eddie Howe’s team might have overreached, taken risks, and opened themselves up. Instead they measured the game carefully, allowing the stronger side to come at them and absorbed their attacks. Milan had most of the ball, and almost all of the chances but they were never really that close to clinching the game with a goal. Newcastle forced them to take low percentage chances, and when they had the ball themselves were sensible with it.

In many ways the Newcastle that came to the San Siro are as different to the Newcastle that last played in the Champions League, against Barcelona 20 years ago, as it’s possible to be. In others they are very much cut from the same cloth.

That the goalkeeper was the best player on the pitch tells you how much one side dominated the attack, and while none of his saves had to be 'worldies' that they didn't reflected his positioning, alertness, and judgement. He was the only player on the pitch that couldn't drop his judgement for a moment, and he didn't.

AC Milan : Maignan 5, Theo 5, Thiaw 5, Tomori 7,Calabria 6, Pobega, Krunic 6, Loftus-Cheek 7, Rafa Leao 7, Chukwueze 6, Giroud 6… Subs: Sportiello 7, Pulisic 6, Reijnders 6, Florenzi 7, Musah 6

Newcastle: Pope 8, Trippier 7, Schar 6, Botman 6, Burn 6, Longstaff 7, Tonali 6, Guimaraes 6, Murphy 7, Isak 6, Gordon 5… Subs: Wilson 6, Almiron 7, Anderson 7

31' - NEWCASTLE PENALTY SHOUT - It was a lovely pass and move into the box that Longstaff is on the end of. He runs into the box but as soon as he feels a nudge in the back, he goes down, instead of looking to take the shot. The referee rightly waves him away.

32' - MILAN CHANCE! Leao does everything but score! He makes a magical, mazy run into and then through the Newcastle box, evading tackle after tackle, but when it came to the shot kicked at nothing but air. He only had the keeper to beat but was trying something far too clever with the back of his heel.

73' - MILAN CHANCE! - Leao heads just over the bar! Great run into the middle from Rafael Leao to get on to a lovely deep in-swinging cross from Florenzi. Great contact but millimeters over the woodwork. It's the closest Milan have come in this half.

90'+4 - NEWCASTLE CHANCE! First and only one of the game for the away team. Almiron drives forward and the Milan defence is looking paniced. He passes inside to Anderson who tees up Longstaff. Longstaff puts his laces through it with venom, forcing a save from Sportiello just when they'd want one.

Milan had more than three times as many shots as Newcastle, with 17 to 5.