Fikayo Tomori is hoping England’s final two Euro 2024 qualifiers will present the “perfect opportunity” to spring a “stop-start” international career into life.

The 25-year-old AC Milan defender made his senior England debut in 2019 but has collected just four caps since, although he is yet to be part of a back line that has conceded a goal.

Now, for the first time, the former Chelsea youngster has been called up by Gareth Southgate for three successive squads.

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Harry Maguire and John Stones continue to be Southgate’s first-choice partnership at the heart of his defence but the latter will sit out the upcoming double-header against Malta and North Macedonia through injury.

That could open the door for Tomori, as well as Crystal Palace skipper Marc Guehi, to stake a claim for a more prominent role for England, especially with qualification for next summer’s Euros already achieved.

Asked how big the two upcoming games are for his own Euros chances, Tomori told BBC Radio 5 Live: “Very important. Obviously, the guys have gone through this kind of qualifying campaign really well and they managed to get us qualified early.

“So I think now that we have two games when we’ve already qualified, I think it’s a good chance for the players who probably haven’t played as much or who want to make a claim for the Euros.

“I think it’s the perfect opportunity. The last camp I managed to get a match, my first game at Wembley, which was nice. That’s a positive step in the right direction for me and hopefully this camp I can make another step and play in a qualifying game.

“Obviously John and Harry are really top players and they have been for him (Southgate) for a number of years.

“So, for me, I’m coming in and I’m just trying to push them as much as I can, show the manager what I can do.”

Tomori’s first steps on the international scene came with Canada – the country of his birth – when he represented their under-20s before switching his footballing allegiances to England.

After coming up through the ranks, he made his senior debut as a late substitute in a 4-0 World Cup qualifying win away to Kosovo.

He has since been capped once in 2021, 2022 and 2023 despite winning Serie A with AC Milan two seasons ago.

“I think it’s been a bit stop-start,” Tomori said of his England career to date.

“I think when I was 21 and I first got called up I made a few appearances off the bench… then after the Covid year I wasn’t paying as much, so obviously I wasn’t getting called up.

“Then I went to Milan and I’ve been in a few camps, out a few camps. But this season started off really well and I’ve have managed to play a few games and I’ve come to every camp.

“So yeah, it has started off well and now I just want to keep it going and play more games, get more caps.

“Most players will say once you come here, you want to stay here and when you get taste for it, you want to you want to keep building on it.

“Like I said, this season, I started off really well and this is my third successive camp. So I’m really, really happy with how things are going and I think now it’s just about staying consistent, trying to get into the next camp and the next camp and the next camp.”

AC Milan ended their goal drought to keep their Champions League hopes alive after a comeback win over Paris St Germain.

Rafael Leao and Olivier Giroud scored their first European goals of the season to secure a 2-1 victory at San Siro.

Milan Skriniar’s header had given the visitors the lead but PSG are now just a point ahead of third-placed Milan in Group F.

Newcastle’s 2-0 defeat at leaders Borussia Dortmund earlier on Tuesday gave the hosts, who started the night bottom, a glimmer of hope.

They are only two points adrift of Dortmund with the group still wide open after four games.

Milan, who reached the semi-finals last season, came into the game with one win in their last six in all competitions and it looked like it was going to be another long night after nine minutes.

Former Inter Milan defender Skriniar was the villain when he drifted off Ruben Loftus-Cheek’s shoulder to head in from four yards after Marquinhos had glanced a corner across goal.

Yet two minutes later the hosts were level following a fine piece of improvisation from Leao.

The Portugal international streaked through midfield to feed Giroud, who was denied by a smart save from Gianluigi Donnarumma. The ball looped in the air and Leao adjusted himself to hook an overhead kick in from six yards.

Achraf Hakimi dragged wide as a quick tempo continued but Milan grew in confidence, even if Ousmane Dembele struck the crossbar for PSG after 27 minutes.

Fikayo Tomori’s free-kick had former Milan keeper Donnarumma, who was forced to remove fake bank notes from his area after the home fans threw them onto the pitch in protest at his departure in 2021, scrambling and Leao dragged wide with nine minutes to go before the break.

Mike Maignan dealt with tame efforts from Dembele and Vitinha in first-half stoppage time and, five minutes after the restart, Milan grabbed the winner.

Leao and Hakimi went down after challenging each other at the far post and the PSG defence went to sleep expecting a whistle.

By the time Theo Hernandez swung in a cross they were struggling to regroup and Giroud powered in a six-yard header.

Donnarumma’s fingertip save turned Hernandez’s free kick wide soon after but PSG, with Kylian Mbappe well shackled, rallied late and could have grabbed a point with two minutes left.

Substitute Kang-In Lee cut in from the right but his low strike hit the outside of the post.

AC Milan defender Pierre Kalulu has had surgery and is expected to be out of action for around four months.

The 23-year-old centre-half ruptured a thigh muscle in last weekend’s 2-2 draw at Serie A rivals Napoli and had an operation to repair the damage on Thursday.

Milan said on their official website: “AC Milan can confirm that Pierre Kalulu underwent surgery today to repair a complete rupture of his left rectus femoris tendon.

“The operation, which was carried out in Finland by Professor Lasse Lempainen in the presence of AC Milan’s head of medical team, Stefano Mazzoni, was a complete success.

“His expected recovery time is estimated to be around four months.”

Kalulu is in his fourth season with Milan after joining from Lyon in 2020.

He made his first start in Serie A this season at Napoli on Sunday after three substitute appearances, but sustained the injury in the 19th minute.

Rudi Garcia is determined to hit AC Milan when they are down and relaunch Napoli’s Serie A title defence.

A rocky start to the season saw the Partenopei fall well short of expectations and critics of new head coach Garcia’s approach did not take long to make their voices heard.

But three league wins from four have thrust Napoli right back into contention and a home win against second-placed Milan, whose bubble has been burst by consecutive defeats to Juventus and Paris St Germain, could lift them to third.

“We have this home match against one of our direct rivals and it’s one we really want to win,” Garcia told reporters.

“There’s a good atmosphere in the camp. We’ve had a decent run of results but we know that if we really want to move up the table we need to keep winning back-to-back games.

“We want victory at home especially because we have the help of our fans after two wins on the road.”

Milan were one of the few sides to get the better of Luciano Spalletti’s Napoli last season, memorably winning 4-0 at Stadio Diego Armando Maradona as the hosts were trying to rubber-stamp their Scudetto.

“It will be a different game to last season,” Garcia said. “People keep saying this Napoli team is different to the one from last season so this game against Milan will be different too.”

Rossoneri boss Stefano Pioli, meanwhile, is demanding an instant response to last weekend’s San Siro reverse against Juve and a 3-0 humiliation at PSG in the Champions League on Wednesday.

He said at a press conference: “The team is hungry to turn things around.

“For the first time this season, we’ve lost two in a row in two big games and tomorrow we have another one.

“We’ll need to show that we have the quality to be a consistent side. We have to keep at it for 95 minutes against teams like this.

“We must live in the present; we’ve made mistakes and got results that we didn’t want. We have the chance in Naples to put in a better performance and show that we’re better.

“Garcia is a great coach. He had issues at the start – which is normal – but now they’re playing well and creating a lot.

“We need to be aware of Khvicha Kvaratskhelia because he can hurt you one-on-one. We’ll try to be alert.”

Paris St Germain claimed a 3-0 victory over AC Milan in the Champions League to go top of Group F.

The Parisians bounced back from their 4-1 defeat to Newcastle earlier this month with strikes from Kylian Mbappe, Randal Kolo Muani and Lee Kang-in.

Barcelona moved a step closer to reaching the knockout stages after a 2-1 victory over Shakhtar Donetsk.

Goals from Ferran Torres and Fermin Lopez made it three wins from three for Xavi’s side.

Newcastle’s campaign took a setback after a 1-0 defeat at home to Borussia Dortmund, with Felix Nmecha’s effort enough for the Germans to take all three points.

It was a better night for holders Manchester City as they overcame Young Boys 3-1 courtesy of an Erling Haaland double in Switzerland.

Haaland converted a second-half penalty and scored late on after Manuel Akanji’s opener had been cancelled out by Meschack Elia’s superb finish.

Celtic twice lost the lead but picked up their first Champions League point in a 2-2 draw with Atletico Madrid at Celtic Park.

Kyogo Furuhashi got the hosts off to a flying start with his second goal in two Champions League games and Luis Palma quickly restored the lead after Antoine Griezmann had equalised from the rebound of his own saved penalty.

Celtic were deservedly on course for a first Champions League group-stage home win in 10 years following a first-half display full of pace and purpose but they started slowly after the break and Alvaro Morata levelled inside eight minutes of the restart.

The Scottish champions never rediscovered their spark – even after Atletico had Rodrigo Paul sent off in the 82nd minute – and their run without a home win at this level is now at 12 games.

Santiago Gimenez helped Feyenoord to a 3-1 win over Lazio.

The Mexican scored twice during a convincing win at De Kuip.

Evanilson scored a second-half hat-trick as Porto clinched a dominant 4-1 win over Antwerp and RB Leipzig’s 3-1 victory over Red Star Belgrade gave them a five-point advantage over third-placed Young Boys in Group G.

Kylian Mbappe and 17-year-old Warren Zaire-Emery starred to help Paris St Germain get their Champions League campaign back on track with a 3-0 win over AC Milan.

The Ligue 1 champions had been humiliated by Newcastle with a 4-1 loss at St James’ Park before the international break, but a second victory in Group F sent them to first position with six points after dismantling last season’s semi-finalists.

Mbappe opened the scoring after collecting Zaire-Emery’s pass before Randal Kolo Muani made it 2-0 at the start of the second half.

There was still time for a flourish in Paris with Zaire-Emery again showing his class with a second assist to set up Lee Kang-in late on.

PSG’s success coupled with Newcastle’s loss at home to Borussia Dortmund has further changed the complexion of the group with Milan bottom on two points ahead of welcoming the French outfit to the San Siro in a fortnight.

Luis Enrique had rested Achraf Hakimi, Milan Skriniar, Ousmane Dembele and Kolo Muani for their weekend win over Strasbourg, but recalled his big guns in an effort to help PSG regain control of Group F.

It was visiting Milan who dominated possession in the opening exchanges and Rafael Leao fired wide from Christian Pulisic’s quick corner.

Yellow cards were also frequent with Malick Thiaw, who was sent off in Milan’s loss at home to Juventus on Sunday, booked for a foul on Kolo Muani after only four minutes.

Mbappe’s involvement during the first quarter of an hour had been minimal, but the PSG talisman signalled his intentions with a snapshot straight at Mike Maignan in the 22nd minute.

Soon after Mbappe sent another effort wide from range before the breakthrough did occur with the World Cup winner able to provide the opener after 32 minutes.

Zaire-Emery was at the heart of the goal with the 17-year-old able to impressively hold off Tijjani Reijnders before he passed into Mbappe, who squared up Fikayo Tomori and then curled into the bottom corner in a flash for his 10th goal of the campaign.

It was the moment of magic the anxious Parc des Princes crowd wanted but no further goals were forthcoming before the break after PSG had penalty appeals waved away following a tangle between Mbappe and the already-booked Thiaw in the area.

The hosts did have the ball in the net three minutes into the second half when Dembele appeared to open his account for the club, but VAR awarded a foul for Manuel Ugarte’s cynical tackle on Rade Krunic in the build-up.

Milan threatened moments later but Olivier Giroud could only fire into the side-netting from Pulisic’s centre and the second did arrive in the 53rd minute for PSG.

Mbappe’s quick thinking saw the French attacker take a quick corner into the path of Dembele, who had a low shot parried out by Maignan to Kolo Muani and he made no mistake from close range.

While Leao continued to carry Milan’s attacking threat, their race was run and only a stunning finger-tip stop from Maignan to deny Mbappe prevented PSG making it 3-0.

It would prove brief respite with Luis Enrique’s team adding a third after 89 minutes when teenager Zaire-Emery raced down the right and squared for substitute Lee to curl into the bottom corner to help PSG leapfrog Newcastle to move top of Group F.

Juventus applied pressure at the top of Serie A with a 1-0 win over AC Milan at San Siro thanks to a deflected goal from former Rossoneri midfielder Manuel Locatelli.

Milan were reduced to 10 men in the 40th minute when defender Malick Thiaw brought down Moise Kean, who was through on goal, and was shown a straight red.

And Juve took advantage of the extra man to net a 63rd-minute winner through Locatelli, whose long-range shot cannoned off Milan substitute Rade Krunic and past Antonio Mirante

Juve’s win leaves them a point behind second-placed AC Milan, and two behind leaders Inter.

Jose Mourinho’s Roma claimed a third successive league win with a 1-0 victory over Monza courtesy of Stephan El Shaarawy’s 90th-minute strike.

Bottom two Salernitana and Cagliari drew 2-2 in a game where all four strikes came in the final 11 minutes, including a stoppage-time Boulaye Dia penalty to secure a point for the hosts.

Bologna’s Scotland midfielder Lewis Ferguson and Lorenzo De Silvestri both struck in the space of three first-half minutes to earn their side a 2-1 victory over Frosinone.

Atalanta bounced back after last week’s defeat at Lazio with a 2-0 win over Genoa through goals from Ademola Lookman and Ederson.

In Spain, Barcelona left it late to claim a 1-0 victory over Athletic Bilbao in Montjuic, with teenager Marc Guiu netting a fairytale winner on his debut.

The hosts were frustrated by the stubborn visitors before 17-year-old Guiu scored seconds after coming off the bench in the 80th minute to give Xavi’s team the win.

Girona hit back from two goals down to thrash Almeria 5-2 and continue their remarkable start to the LaLiga season which sees them level on 25 points with leaders Real Madrid after 10 games.

Leo Baptistao’s early brace had Almeria dreaming of an upset but Girona, aided by two Artem Dovbyk goals, roared back to lead 3-2 at half-time before finishing the job after the break.

Rayo Vallecano claimed a last-gasp 1-0 victory at Las Palmas after Bebe converted a stoppage-time penalty before the visitors lost Oscar Valentin to a red card.

Villareal were held to a 1-1 draw at home to Alaves, with Gerard Moreno’s penalty cancelling out Samu Omorodion’s strike.

In France, Monaco regained their position at the top of Ligue 1 after Aleksandr Golovin’s double saw them claim a 2-1 comeback win over Metz and move one point clear of second-placed Nice, who won on Saturday night.

Lorient recorded only their second win of the season with a 2-1 victory at home to Rennes.

Lille beat Brest 1-0 which saw them replace their opponents in fourth spot and Toulouse were held to a 1-1 draw at home to Reims.

Nantes continued to climb the table as they saw off Montpellier 2-0 with goals from Florent Mollet and Kader Bamba – the club’s fourth win in five games .

In Germany, Augsburg recovered from 2-0 down after 18 minutes to beat Heidenheim 5-2 away from home while Cologne picked up their first win of the season after defeating Borussia Monchengladbach 3-1, Florian Kainz netting twice from the penalty spot.

Juventus applied pressure at the top of Serie A with a 1-0 win over AC Milan at San Siro thanks to a deflected goal from former Rossoneri midfielder Manuel Locatelli.

Milan were reduced to 10 men in the 40th minute when defender Malick Thiaw brought down Moise Kean, who was through on goal, and was shown a straight red.

And Juve took advantage of the extra man to net a 63rd-minute winner through Locatelli, whose long-range shot cannoned off Milan substitute Rade Krunic and past Antonio Mirante

Juve’s win leaves them a point behind second-placed AC Milan, and two behind leaders Inter.

Jose Mourinho’s Roma claimed a third successive league win with a 1-0 victory over Monza courtesy of Stephan El Shaarawy’s 90th-minute strike.

Bottom two Salernitana and Cagliari drew 2-2 in a game where all four strikes came in the final 11 minutes, including a stoppage-time Boulaye Dia penalty to secure a point for the hosts.

Bologna’s Scotland midfielder Lewis Ferguson and Lorenzo De Silvestri both struck in the space of three first-half minutes to earn their side a 2-1 victory over Frosinone.

Atalanta bounced back after last week’s defeat at Lazio with a 2-0 win over Genoa through goals from Ademola Lookman and Ederson.

In Spain, Barcelona left it late to claim a 1-0 victory over Athletic Bilbao in Montjuic, with teenager Marc Guiu netting a fairytale winner on his debut.

The hosts were frustrated by the stubborn visitors before 17-year-old Guiu scored seconds after coming off the bench in the 80th minute to give Xavi’s team the win.

Girona hit back from two goals down to thrash Almeria 5-2 and continue their remarkable start to the LaLiga season which sees them level on 25 points with leaders Real Madrid after 10 games.

Leo Baptistao’s early brace had Almeria dreaming of an upset but Girona, aided by two Artem Dovbyk goals, roared back to lead 3-2 at half-time before finishing the job after the break.

Rayo Vallecano claimed a last-gasp 1-0 victory at Las Palmas after Bebe converted a stoppage-time penalty before the visitors lost Oscar Valentin to a red card.

Villareal were held to a 1-1 draw at home to Alaves, with Gerard Moreno’s penalty cancelling out Samu Omorodion’s strike.

In France, Monaco regained their position at the top of Ligue 1 after Aleksandr Golovin’s double saw them claim a 2-1 comeback win over Metz and move one point clear of second-placed Nice, who won on Saturday night.

Lorient recorded only their second win of the season with a 2-1 victory at home to Rennes.

Lille beat Brest 1-0 which saw them replace their opponents in fourth spot and Toulouse were held to a 1-1 draw at home to Reims.

Nantes continued to climb the table as they saw off Montpellier 2-0 with goals from Florent Mollet and Kader Bamba – the club’s fourth win in five games .

In Germany, Augsburg recovered from 2-0 down after 18 minutes to beat Heidenheim 5-2 away from home while Cologne picked up their first win of the season after defeating Borussia Monchengladbach 3-1, Florian Kainz netting twice from the penalty spot.

AC Milan moved to the top of Serie A with a 1-0 win at Genoa that saw Christian Pulisic score late on before both sides had their goalkeepers sent off in stoppage time.

After substitute Pulisic broke the deadlock by firing home in the 87th minute, the Rossoneri were then reduced to 10 men in the eighth minute of time added on when Mike Maignan was dismissed.

Pulisic’s fellow substitute Olivier Giroud took over from Maignan in goal, and saw the Milan bar rattled moments later – before the drama continued with Genoa keeper Josep Martinez being shown a second yellow card.

With Giroud then making a save in the final few moments, Milan saw out the victory as they managed to take maximum advantage of Inter Milan being held 2-2 at home by Bologna earlier in the day.

Securing a fourth successive league victory and eighth in nine Serie A games, Stefano Pioli’s went two points clear as they replaced Inter at the summit.

Pioli made five changes to his starting line-up from the 0-0 Champions League draw at Borussia Dortmund, including replacing the front three of Giroud, Pulisic and Rafael Leao with Luka Jovic, Samuel Chukwueze and Noah Okafor.

Two of that trio brought in almost combined for an early goal, with Chukwueze lofting the ball forward and Okafor just unable to finish as Martinez grabbed it.

The hosts then appealed for a penalty when Johan Vasquez went down in a tangle with Alessandro Florenzi but nothing was given.

A spell of Milan pressure around the quarter-hour mark saw Martinez deal with a shot from Florenzi and then block Tijjani Reijnders’ strike.

Florenzi subsequently got himself in the way of a Vasquez shot, before Theo Fernandez and Florenzi hit drives off-target.

After Pioli opted to bring on Pulisic and Leao for Chukwueze and Okafor at the interval, Milan continued to be frustrated in their search for a breakthrough early in the second half, struggling to fashion much in attack.

Leao then saw Martinez make a fine save to tip his bouncing header over the bar in the 65th minute, shortly before Giroud was introduced to the fray.

Genoa then threatened to grab the lead as Radu Dragusin’s shot deflected off Reijnders, with Maignan doing well to turn it around the post, and substitute Caleb Ekuban headed over.

It looked as if Milan would miss their opportunity to replace Inter at the top, but Pulisic then controlled a Yunus Musah delivery, turned and fired in, the effort standing after a VAR check for handball.

That proved only the start of a dramatic finale as stoppage time saw Maignan given a red card, via VAR, for clattering Ekuban, Giroud don the gloves, and the resulting free-kick by Albert Gudmundsson diverting off Fikayo Tomori and onto the Milan bar.

Martinez then fouled Musah and was sent off himself, before Giroud came out to bat the ball away from George Puscas as Milan emerged with all three points.

AC Milan head coach Stefano Pioli insists his side are full of confidence as they look to get their first Champions League Group F win at Borussia Dortmund.

The Rossoneri, last season’s semi-finalists, were held to a goalless draw at home by Newcastle in their opening match, while Dortmund lost away to Paris St Germain.

Pioli’s team, though, have since won three straight Serie A games, with their only defeat so far this season a 5-1 loss to city rivals Inter.

Defeat in Paris is Dortmund’s sole loss from eight games in all competitions – and Pioli is expecting a vociferous atmosphere when AC Milan run out at the Westfalenstadion on Wednesday night

“Our recent wins in the league have given us confidence but now, tomorrow is all that matters,” Pioli told a press conference.

“Two years ago, when we played at Anfield, we were probably a bit afraid. But after a journey in Europe like ours, we’re able to compete in the competition and with atmospheres like this.

“We need to play with the right mentality and do all we can to try to win. The game is important in the group but there’s a long way to go, regardless of the outcome tomorrow. It won’t be decisive but the result will definitely matter.”

Pioli also highlighted Dortmund’s incredible home record in the Champions League.

He added: “They’ve not lost at home in the Champions League in almost two years.

“Dortmund play attacking football; they’re quick and have a lot of quality. We’ll need to be intelligent enough to attack the spaces and control the game at various moments.

“BVB are backed by a fantastic home support; we’ve spoken about these little details in training to be in the best shape possible for tomorrow evening.”

AC Milan look set to be without English midfielder Ruben Loftus-Cheek, who went off during the first half of Saturday’s Serie A win over Lazio with a groin problem.

French defender Pierre Kalulu has missed the last five games with a thigh injury, while midfielder Rade Krunic is also out with a similar issue and not expected to return until after the international break later in October.

Dortmund won 3-1 at Hoffenheim on Friday night before turning their attention back on the Champions League.

Despite having three victories from their last four games in all competitions, Dortmund coach Edin Terzic wants his side fully focussed on the challenge ahead.

“It will be a completely different game to the one against Paris (in the opening group game),” Terzic told a press conference.

“We have to be braver when we don’t have the ball. Milan have a different way of playing, but we have introduced a lot of good things in the last few games that will be crucial again.

“At this level, no game will be easy, but we have our first home game, with our guys and the fans in the stadium, so we want to get our first win tomorrow.”

Dortmund midfielder Marcel Sabitzer is closing in on a return from an adductor problem suffered against PSG, but the Austrian is not expected to be involved on Wednesday night.

Ruben Loftus-Cheek’s superb strike helped AC Milan to a 3-1 Serie A victory at struggling Cagliari.

Zito Luvumbo gave Claudio Ranieri’s winless side a shock lead but Noah Okafor and Fikayo Tomori turned things around before Loftus-Cheek’s first Milan goal secured the win.

Milan have now won back-to-back league games since their derby drubbing by city rivals Inter – their only dropped points of the season so far – while Cagliari remain in the bottom three with just two points from their opening six matches.

Stefano Pioli’s side started on the front foot against their out-of-form hosts, Tijjani Reijnders drifting an early opportunity wide before Loftus-Cheek wasted a chance due to a heavy first touch inside the area.

Much of the visitors’ threat was coming from Samuel Chukwueze down the right, with the Nigerian’s cross-shot floating wide.

The first big chance fell to striker Okafor, but his tame shot from 12 yards was easily held by Boris Radunovic.

Cagliari caught Milan out from a throw-in to score just their second goal of the season in the 29th minute, with Luvumbo – who got their first – smashing a left-footed strike into the roof of the net.

Ibrahim Sulemana shot straight at Marco Sportiello from distance as Cagliari pushed for another but Milan went straight down the other end to level after 40 minutes.

Christian Pulisic jinked past the full-back to cross low into the area and Radunovic spilled the ball into the path of Okafor, who finished from six yards.

Milan seized the initiative as Chukwueze fired over before Theo Hernandez’s shot required a fingertip save by Radunovic.

And the Rossoneri were ahead on the stroke of half-time as Reijnders’ cross along the six-yard line was bundled in by Tomori.

Cagliari threatened in the opening 10 minutes of the second half as Luvumbo was denied by a last-ditch block and Gaetano Oristanio shot over from the edge of the box.

Loftus-Cheek’s goal came on the hour mark as he arrowed a superb strike from 25 yards low into the bottom corner.

The hosts carried little threat as Milan controlled the game, but Luvumbo capitalised on a slip from Tomori to create their best chance to reduce the arrears three minutes from time as Oristanio’s strike was beaten away by Sportiello.

Milan’s next game is at home to Lazio on Saturday while Cagliari face a trip to Fiorentina on Monday.

Eddie Howe is confident there is more to come from Newcastle after they took a point from their Champions League baptism of fire in Milan.

The Magpies found themselves under the cosh at the San Siro on Tuesday evening as they opened their Group F campaign with a tough trip to AC Milan and ultimately emerged with a creditable 0-0 draw.

Howe’s team will have to be significantly more progressive than they were in Italy if they are to bank the points they will need to progress, with Paris St Germain and Borussia Dortmund waiting in the wings, but the 45-year-old believes they will be.

Asked after the game if the overriding emotion in the dressing room on the final whistle had been exhaustion, disappointment or pride, he said: “It was a mixture of all of those things, definitely pride in the result and the performance, the mentality shown.

“Not internally in the squad, the result wasn’t overestimated. They are very honest payers and they acknowledge we can perform better. Yes, a bit of fatigue as well, but we’re now looking forward to our next match.

“For us to stand up strong and come back fighting in that second half – because I thought that was a good second half display from us – bodes well for the future. All we can try and do is try and win every game.”

But for goalkeeper Nick Pope and a glaring miss from Milan’s Portugal star Rafael Leao, Newcastle could have been in deep trouble by half-time, although having got there on level terms they produced a fine defensive display after the break to plug the gaps through which the Rossoneri had poured during the opening 45 minutes.

Indeed, they might even have picked the Serie A club’s pocket in stoppage-time when Sean Longstaff forced a fingertip save from substitute goalkeeper Marco Sportiello.

Howe said: “There were a few things we changed at half-time. We were looking to tweak a few things.

“The mindset was the most important thing. The blocking of the shots, recovery sprints when we are caught out of position was all out of the top drawer, especially when it needed to be in that second half.

“We had our moments in transitions going the other way and that’s where the quality was missing, and I’m a little bit frustrated with that. As I say, we will look to improve.”

Howe will now turn his attention to Sunday’s Premier League trip to Sheffield United, with opposite number Stefano Pioli, whose side lost 5-1 to derby rivals Inter last weekend, also able to take positives from a display which promised much but did not deliver the outcome he craved.

Pioli, who also lost goalkeeper Mike Maignan and midfielder Ruben Loftus-Cheek to injury, said: “I liked the performance, I liked the attitude. We attacked very well, we defended well, we showed that we were full of energy through the whole 90 minutes.

“We were as intense as they were – actually, we were more intense than they were – but we couldn’t win, and that’s a pity.

“Now we have to move on. There are very important games in Serie A and then we will have to play against Borussia Dortmund.”

Eddie Howe feels the hard-fought point with which Newcastle emerged from their trip to AC Milan could serve them well as their Champions League campaign continues.

The Magpies, who needed goalkeeper Nick Pope to make five first-half saves to ensure they came away from San Siro with a 0-0 draw, managed to frustrate the hosts for long periods and open their Group F account on their return to European football’s top table after an absence of two decades.

Head coach Howe said: “I thought the crowd were very good for Milan tonight. It was a hostile atmosphere for us, the players had to adjust to that and that’s why I don’t think you can underestimate the performance and the point that we get.

“I think it will look better and better as time goes on because it’s a new experience for a lot of people – me included – tonight and hopefully we can grow from this into the tournament.

“Again, I’ll praise the players for the defensive qualities that they showed today. We know we can do better with the ball, but hopefully that will come.”

Pope’s heroics provided the foundation on a night when he had to be at his best to keep the Rossoneri at bay three days after keeping a clean sheet in a Premier League victory over Brentford.

Howe said: “I thought he was outstanding today. He was excellent against Brentford – although he didn’t have a lot to do – and his all-round game was at his highest level.

“It’s no coincidence, two big displays and two clean sheets from him which is absolutely crucial to us. He was a huge part of our success last year and no doubt he’ll be the same this year.”

Newcastle might even have snatched victory at the death when midfielder Sean Longstaff forced a crucial save from substitute keeper Marco Sportiello deep into stoppage time, and Howe was not countenancing suggestions his side had been fortunate.

He said: “Everyone’s entitled to their opinion. I didn’t think the draw was luck. We were slightly disappointed with how we played with the ball tonight, but there are a lot of different reasons for that.”

However, for all that the visitors defended with impressive resilience, particularly in the second half when they limited Milan to few clear-cut opportunities, they had already been let off the hook when Portugal international Rafael Leao had danced through the black and white shirts and with only Pope to beat, tried to back-heel a shot past him and simply fell over.

Rossoneri boss Stefano Pioli said: “Rafa Leao is much-appreciated by every football lover because he tries impossible things. He gives it a try. These are impossible things for the rest of the players.

“On the other hand, he tries to get that ‘Wow!’ effect, and sometimes he achieves it. If I had been there in front of the goal, I would have shot and probably I would have missed the goal.

“I’m sorry for my players because they have given their utmost and maybe more. It was a very intense game. We were tired because we ran so much. I’m sorry for our fans because they supported us throughout the whole game, and I’m sorry about not winning the first game in the group phase because this will be a very tough one.

“We wanted to win, but we couldn’t, so we’re not happy about the result.”

Rafael Leao was guilty of an incredible miss which let Newcastle off the hook as their Champions League opener at AC Milan finished goalless.

The Portugal international, who was Newcastle star Sandro Tonali’s team-mate at San Siro until his £53million summer switch to Tyneside, completely fluffed his lines with only goalkeeper Nick Pope to beat after attempting an audacious flick at the end of a stunning 34th-minute run and only succeeded in tripping himself.

Pope will feel he had already earned his slice of good fortune after making five first-half saves in the space of six minutes to pave the way for a 0-0 draw which banked a priceless first point for the Magpies’ Group F account on their return to European football’s top table after an absence of 20 years.

For the seven-time winners, who were thrashed 5-1 by derby rivals Inter Milan on Saturday, there was no salvation on a night when they created enough chances, but were unable to take any of them, much to the annoyance of the locals among a crowd of 65,695.

Newcastle fans headed for San Siro on Tuesday evening confident they were safe after one supporter was stabbed as thousands gathered in Milan.

Local police confirmed that a 58-year-old Magpies supporter had suffered three wounds in an incident at around midnight on Monday after being set upon by a group of up to eight men wearing hoodies in the popular Navigli area of the city.

A police spokesperson told the PA news agency: “The incident took place about midnight in the neighbourhood of Navigli, which is populated with bars.

“A police patrol came across the incident, which involved seven or eight people wearing hooded sweatshirts. We are still searching for these people.

“A supporter of Newcastle, who is 58 years old, suffered two slight wounds to his arms and one a little bit deeper on his back. He was sent to the Policlinico Hospital and is expected to be discharged later today.

“DIGOS (Divisione Investigazioni Generali e Operazioni Speciali), the branch which deals with football supporters, is investigating, but at this moment it is not clear if this is related to football or something else because no emblems were visible.”

Newcastle were liaising with the authorities in the wake of the incident, and wished the fan involved a speedy recovery.

A club spokesperson said: “We are deeply concerned by reports that a supporter was seriously assaulted in Milan on Monday evening and we are liaising with local authorities to understand the circumstances.

“Our thoughts are with the supporter and their family and we hope for a full and speedy recovery.”

Around 5,000 visiting supporters were expected at the stadium for the opening Group F fixture, with more having travelled simply to experience the atmosphere of the club’s first Champions League game in 20 years.

Many gathered around the bars and restaurants in the Naviglio Grande area on the eve of the match close to where the stabbing occurred.

The area was quieter on Tuesday afternoon, but some of those who were present on Monday evening reported no problems.

Joe McDivitt, 57, from Cramlington, told PA: “We heard about it, but we knew nothing about it, just hearsay, rumours and what the lads have seen about it on social media.

“My daughter messaged me – she’s in a huff because she’s not here – to say just to be careful, but everything has been fine.

“We had no trouble, everybody was great. There was no bother. It was great.”

Andy Roberts, 38, from Newcastle, said: “It’s gone round the Newcastle WhatsApp groups about the guy getting cut with a machete or whatever. But if there’s one out of 10,000…

“All the Italians we have spoken to have been very nice, very friendly, the taxi drivers are very friendly. The atmosphere seems good. We’ll see what it’s like after the game.”

Many fans headed to the stadium on the city’s Metro system, packing into sweltering trains along with their Milan counterparts and the atmosphere was boisterous, but good-natured.