Goalkeeper Safonov fails to impress for PSG in 1-1 draw against Newcastle

PARIS (AP) — Matvei Safonov did little to press his case to become Paris Saint-Germain’s first-choice goalkeeper in a 1-1 draw against Newcastle in the Champions League on Wednesday.

Safonov was selected after Paris Saint-Germain coach Luis Enrique dropped goalkeeper Lucas Chevalier. But it remains unclear if this was just for one game or whether Safonov will retain the No. 1 jersey.

“I can’t say anything about that, but I have no problem rotating the goalkeepers," Luis Enrique said. "As a coach I am open to this, but I haven't decided anything yet."

The draw meant both sides finished out of the top eight places in the league table and failed to qualify automatically for the last 16. They will enter the playoffs instead.

Safonov should have done better on Joe Willock's equalizer for Newcastle in first-half stoppage time, which came after poor defending by PSG captain Marquinhos.

Newcastle midfielder Sandro Tonali hit a long free kick into the penalty area.

PSG captain Marquinhos went to clear it but instead headed the ball backward and straight to Dan Burn on the left of the penalty area. Burn was left free and nodded the ball across the area and Willock got ahead of a static Safonov to head it in. It was the 11th goal conceded by PSG in eight Champions League games.

PSG was regularly exposed in midfield and caught several times on the counterattack by a Newcastle side that caused problems with livewire Anthony Gordon’s runs behind right back Nuno Mendes.

“We knew they play a very high line and the idea was to get behind them,” Newcastle coach Eddie Howe said.

One surging run from Gordon almost led to a winner in the 87th but Harvey Barnes blazed wide from meters out after Gordon’s scuffed shot rolled to him near the back post.

Chevalier had conceded a soft late goal in a 2-1 defeat to Sporting last Tuesday, and has been erratic since joining from Lille in the offseason as a replacement for Italy standout Gianluigi Donnarumma following his move to Manchester City.

Luis Enrique was keen to sign Chevalier because of his ability to better pass out from the back than Donnarumma, but the somewhat inexperienced Chevalier has made several mistakes this season and looked vulnerable on crosses and set pieces.

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Newcastle's Joe Willock, left, scores his side's opening goal during a Champions League opening phase soccer match between Paris Saint-Germain and Newcastle in Wednesday, Jan. 28, 2026. (AP Photo/Michel Euler)

Newcastle's Joe Willock, left, scores his side's opening goal during a Champions League opening phase soccer match between Paris Saint-Germain and Newcastle in Wednesday, Jan. 28, 2026. (AP Photo/Michel Euler)

PSG's goalkeeper Matvei Safonov makes a save during a Champions League opening phase soccer match between Paris Saint-Germain and Newcastle in Wednesday, Jan. 28, 2026. (AP Photo/Michel Euler)

PSG squad pose before a Champions League opening phase soccer match between Paris Saint-Germain and Newcastle in Wednesday, Jan. 28, 2026. (AP Photo/Michel Euler)

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Russia launched a “massive” missile and drone strike on Friday near the Ukrainian capital, killing one person and injuring eight, regional authorities reported, as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy signaled Kyiv's openness to a potential Easter truce. The holiday is celebrated on April 12 in both Ukraine and Russia.

Another person died Friday after a Russian bomb struck an apartment block in northern Ukraine, according to local officials.

“The Kyiv region is once again under a massive Russian missile and drone attack," said Mykola Kalashnyk, head of the regional military administration, in a Telegram post on Friday morning.

According to Kalashnyk, one person died and at least eight more suffered injuries as a result of strikes on three of Kyiv's satellite towns — Bucha, Fastiv and Obukhiv. About 20 animals died after a veterinary clinic was struck, Kalashnyk added.

Ukraine's Foreign Minister, Andrii Sybiha, said in a post on X that “almost half a thousand drones and cruise missiles” attacked Ukraine overnight.

“This is how Moscow responds to Ukraine’s Easter ceasefire proposals — with brutal attacks,” Sybiha said.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Thursday signaled Kyiv's continued openness to a potential truce on Easter, which falls next week according to the Julian calendar followed by Orthodox churches in Ukraine and Russia.

Zelenskyy told reporters that the proposal had been communicated to Moscow through U.S. channels. He added that the Kremlin's response remains unclear.

Zelenskyy has previously offered a ceasefire for the Easter period — but Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said earlier this week that Moscow wants a lasting peace settlement, not a temporary truce.

President Vladimir Putin unilaterally declared a 30-hour ceasefire last Easter, but each side accused the other of breaking it.

One person died on Friday in Ukraine’s northern Sumy region, near the Russian border, after a Russian guided aerial bomb struck a residential block in the city of Shostka, local Gov. Oleh Hryhorov reported. He said three more people were hospitalized with injuries following the strike, including a 29-year-old woman whose condition was serious.

In Russia, 192 Ukrainian drones were shot down overnight over Russia and occupied Crimea, the Russian Defense Ministry reported on Friday morning.

Two people were hospitalized on Friday following a Ukrainian drone strike on the Leningrad region, over 1,100 kilometers (684 miles) from the border, regional Gov. Alexander Drozdenko reported. According to Drozdenko, the drones also set fire to an “unoccupied” building within the Morozov industrial zone.

The settlement of Morozov houses a state-owned plant that makes explosives and components for ammunition, including solid fuel used in Topol-M missile systems. The plant was put under U.S., EU and other Western sanctions following Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

Twelve people, including at least three Russian soldiers, were injured in a Ukrainian drone strike late Thursday on Russia’s Belgorod region, which borders Ukraine, local Gov. Vyacheslav Gladkov reported. Separately, he said that seven people were wounded in the region after a drone struck a commercial facility.

Four drones were downed during the night on the approach to Moscow, mayor Sergei Sobyanin reported Friday. He did not reference any casualties or damage.

In this image made from video provided by Russian Defense Ministry Press Service on Tuesday, March 31, 2026, Russian soldiers fire a grenade launcher towards Ukrainian positions on an undisclosed location in Ukraine. (Russian Defense Ministry Press Service via AP)