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Barnes Fires Twice as Newcastle Defeat Portuguese Side and Mourinho
As Jose Mourinho arrived at Newcastle's stadium and praised Newcastle's coach and his players, home fans were concerned about a tough match. But such fears disappeared due to a goal from Anthony Gordon and two more from substitute Harvey Barnes, making sure Benfica's coach would not cause pain for Howe's team.
Game Dynamics and Initial Exchanges
Mourinho had forecast that Newcastle would be extremely aggressive, but his own team showed their similar aggressive style. Benfica clearly enjoyed breaking up Newcastle's initial efforts to build a fluent passing rhythm.
Adding to the home team's challenges, two midfielders, Sandro Tonali and Joelinton, started on the bench as they continued recovering from illness and injury each.
Before the start, the coaches shared a brief, cool greeting, and it quickly became apparent that Mourinho had told his team to quiet the crowd by delaying Newcastle and reducing the temperature at every chance.
Critical Moments and Decisive Actions
Benfica's tactic yielded varied outcomes, but when Gordon and the Newcastle attack managed to dismantle Benfica's backline, they at first struggled to create clear chances.
Moreover, the Belgian winger Dodi Lukebakio almost demonstrated scoring skill when, after beating Dan Burn on the ground, he tested Nick Pope with a tremendous strike that got an excellent single-hand save. It's no surprise the goalkeeper retains hope for an national team return in time for the global tournament.
Yet when the winger hit a further attempt against the woodwork, the home side woke up. Jacob Murphy fired off target, and Benfica's keeper made an excellent close-range stop from Bruno Guimaraes before Anthony Gordon finally opened the scoreless tie.
Gordon's scorching pace had created problems for the Benfica coach all night, and he calmly slotted the opener past Trubin after his teammate's early ball into the area paid off.
On the occasion the Magpies' hard, pressing game was not second-guessed by the opposition, Jacob Murphy, preferred over the expensive signing, was there to deliver a low cross across the goal for Gordon to polish off.
Later Stages and Match-Winning Substitutions
Right from the start, the Portuguese team could not be blamed of parking the bus and seeking a point, but now their side pushed forward with real abandon. Lukebakio consistently showed an skill to unsettle Newcastle's back four, and the home team were probably relieved to regroup at the break.
The first half concluded with Pope once more saving his side by diverting the attacker's left-foot around the post, and as the teams emerged for the next period, the match seemed evenly poised.
If Gordon, evidently boosted by scoring his fourth strike in three Champions League appearances this campaign, played with the zeal of a winger set to alter the balance in his team's favor, Lukebakio had other ideas.
The manager's No 11 had already shown that, while Burn is a capable centre-back, he is not a natural left-back, and home fans were nervous every time he moved forward.
The Newcastle manager might have relaxed had Lewis Miley, filling in for Sandro Tonali, not headed a corner over the bar from a well-placed spot. Instead, this thrilling game continued to swing from one goal to the other, persuading the coach to introduce Joelinton and Barnes in place of Jacob Ramsey and Jacob Murphy.
The Benfica boss, meanwhile, threw on an extra forward in Ivanovic. It would perhaps prove a gamble that backfired.
Harvey Barnes Seals the Match
Until then, Benfica, and in particular their Portugal defender Silva, had performed a fine job in restricting Woltemade's room and forcing the German centre-forward deep. But now, with defender Dedic off, the backline was underpowered, and the path was open for Harvey Barnes to prove that Anthony Gordon is not Howe's only goal-scoring winger.
Newcastle's two changes was already proving effective by the time Pope sent a wonderful throw in the substitute's path. When Antonio Silva, for once, misread the bounce, Barnes was clear, sprinting into the penalty box before maintaining impressive composure to lash a superb shot past Trubin.
When Barnes rolled a shot through unfortunate Trubin's legs after receiving Gordon's stellar through ball, it was finished. The Benfica manager had warned that Newcastle have four very fast wide attackers, and three goals from two wingers had destroyed his chances of earning Benfica's first Champions League result of the season.
Brian Hernandez
A passionate writer and shopping enthusiast with a keen eye for quality products and lifestyle trends.
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