BARCELONA, Juventus – and now Paris St Germain. Europe’s biggest clubs might know what is coming for them when they head to St James’ Park, but dealing with it is quite another matter. Newcastle United’s Champions League storybook now has another glorious chapter.

That their latest win came courtesy of goals from two boyhood Newcastle fans made it all the sweeter. Dan Burn watched Alan Shearer score Champions League goals from his family’s seats in the East Stand. Last night, he was the hometown hero being celebrated as he headed home Newcastle’s second goal before the break. As a teenager, Sean Longstaff was a ballboy for a Europa League game against Benfica. Last night, he was the toast of Tyneside as he drilled home a low finish to make it 3-0 at the start of the second half.

Miguel Almiron was Newcastle’s opening goalscorer – a Paraguayan following in the footsteps of his fellow South American, Tino Asprilla – with Fabian Schar adding a late fourth as Eddie Howe’s side brushed aside any worries about their ability to handle the demands of Champions League football and confirmed that their return to European football’s top table is not a forlorn attempt to rekindle past glories. This is the new Newcastle. And on this evidence, it might even be better than the celebrated old one.

A Paris St Germain side featuring arguably the world’s best player in Kylian Mbappe was unable to cope with the ferocious energy of a night on Tyneside. By the time the game ended, Mbappe looked shell-shocked, battered by a Geordie juggernaut. Luis Enrique, forlorn on the touchline, blew out his cheeks. He has now been a Champions League loser at St James’ as both a player and head coach.

Like Enrique, Newcastle’s fans sensed what was coming. This was the night they had been waiting more than two decades for. All the dark days of the last 20 years – Mike Ashley, the Sports Direct Arena, Joe Kinnear, Dennis Wise, Joe Kinnear again, visiting Burton, losing in the cup at Stevenage and Oxford – it all felt part of the journey that had taken the Magpies back to this point.

Visiting the San Siro was special, but this was the Champions League back at St James’ Park. The cathedral on the hill has known some famous old nights; the sense of frenzied excitement at kick-off, in the wake of another spectacular flags and banner display that preceded the playing of the Champions League anthem, suggested this might turn out to be another of them.

Could Newcastle really do it against the Ligue 1 champions? Oh yes, they could. Admittedly, there was a nervy moment five minutes in, when Mbappe’s first touch ended in a teasing cross from the left that Ousmane Dembele fired wide with a first-time volley, but having dug in impressively against AC Milan, the Magpies just needed something to convince them they could flourish as an attacking force at this level.

It arrived in the 17th minute, and was at least partially a result of the aggressive pressing that had unsettled the Paris St Germain defence. Marquinhos had already been hassled out of possession by Anthony Gordon when he received the ball close to his own goalline, and his somewhat panicked attempt at a pass out of defence only succeeded in hitting Bruno Guimaraes flush in the head.

The ball dropped invitingly for Alexander Isak, and while his low strike was saved by Gianluigi Donnarumma, Almiron reacted smartly to latch on to the rebound. Having scored against Burnley five days earlier, the Paraguayan curled another clinical finish into the same corner of the goal at the Leazes End.

St James’ Park was ecstatic, and with Gordon’s frenetic closing down further enlivening an already-energised home crowd, a second goal almost arrived midway through the first half. Kieran Trippier pulled a corner back into the path of an unmarked Fabian Schar, and the Swiss centre-half fired a first-time effort just wide of the post.

Newcastle’s relentless energy was unsettling their opponents, and while Warren Zaire-Emery drilled a low strike wide of the post, there was little of the kind of cohesive attacking play that might have been expected of a side featuring the likes of Mbappe, Dembele and an especially-quiet Goncalo Ramos.

In fact, that was coming from Newcastle, and the delirium notched up another level when the home side doubled their lead five minutes before the break.

It was a goal that took a fair bit of awarding, with Guimaraes initially firing in a shot that was saved by Donnarumma. Tonali prodded the ball back to the Brazilian, and while the flag went up for offside, replays subsequently showed he was onside when he delivered a cross back into the box. Burn outjumped the PSG defence, and although Donnarumma made a decent fist of trying to claw out his header, the ball had clearly crossed the line. A lengthy VAR check raised the tension, but unlike at the weekend, the final verdict, awarding Newcastle a goal, was the right one.

Surely, that was as good as things were going to get? Actually, the party was only getting started. Six minutes into the second half, and the second of Newcastle’s Geordie goalscorers was wheeling away in front of the Gallowgate End.

Trippier’s through ball played Longstaff into the right-hand side of the area, and in a manner similar to his celebrated goal against Southampton in last season’s Carabao Cup semi-final, the homegrown midfielder brushed home a first-time finish that sneaked under Donnarumma’s right arm.

Paris St Germain were floundering, but Enrique’s side gave themselves a chance by pulling a goal back. Warren Zaire-Emery floated in a chipped cross, and Lucas Hernandex glanced home a deft header.

The final word went to Schar in stoppage time, with the defender picking out the top corner with a wonderful long-range finish.