Reliving Newcastle United’s most iconic moment of the 2023-24 season - do you agree?

Years of apathy, disillusionment and an overriding sense of neglect had sapped belief from Newcastle United supporters for so long. The domestic trophy curse, as it stands, is creeping towards 70 years - 14 of those featuring a club held captive by an absent billionaire.

The Saudi-backed takeover promises better days ahead. However, not even the most blinkered Newcastle fan could have predicted Champions League football so soon. Supporters will never forget the night European nights returned to St James’ Park. 

On a cold October night, the Toon Army’s coming-out party was about to commence - well ahead of schedule. The Magpies had not dined at UEFA’s top table for 20 years until Eddie Howe guided them to the promised land with a fourth-placed finish.

A valiant 0-0 draw at the iconic San Siro against seven-time winners AC Milan set up a tasty encounter with Ligue 1 royalty. PSG, led by the might of Kylian Mbappe and viewed by many as the world’s best player, arrived on Tyneside as firm favourites.

But the bookmakers were proven wrong in brutal fashion as Newcastle put the Parisians to the sword. Miguel Almiron, Dan Burn and Sean Longstaff gave the Magpies a commanding lead before Lucas Hernandez pulled one back.

Schar - who bagged the man-of-the-match award before his last-gasp raker - then found the top corner to place the icing on the cake of Newcastle’s greatest night in recent history. Pandemonium erupted. A sea of black and white everywhere. Kylian who?

Those youngsters who replicated Philippe Albert’s chip against Manchester United years ago were now adults, likely parents, whose kids would do the same with Schar’s heroics in mind. This was a true coming-of-age moment for Newcastle as they showed aptitude when mixing it with Europe’s elite.

What came later in the group stage proved controversial. Admittedly, the Magpies were schooled - twice - by eventual finalists Borussia Dortmund but handball-gate in the PSG reverse fixture led to a gung-ho approach against AC Milan and, with that, a crushing exit.

Howe, players and supporters cursed fine margins but, for a club competing with Burton Albion and Rotherham United six years prior, this was a valuable lesson. Speaking about the magnitude of his goal, Newcastle’s Swiss sensation remembered how much the moment meant to everyone in the city.

“I remember scoring against Paris and the next day I was walking out of my house,” Schar said after penning a contract extension in January. “And there was an older lady in a car and she was driving past me doing the celebration.

“That gave me a lot back, just to see what it is about in this city. I’m loving it here. I've said it a lot of times, but I feel really at home here.

“I feel so comfortable living in Newcastle. I love the city and I love playing for the club and the incredible fans. I can't say enough how much I love them, and how much their support means to me.”

For all the betting scandals, injury crisis, sporting director bombshells, cruel cup draws and eventual Conference League heartbreak that plagued last season, Newcastle fans had a lot to cherish from 2023-24. Schar’s curler - and the ensuing hysteria - was undoubtedly the defining moment.