🔗 Share this article

When Jose Mourinho arrived at St James' Park and complimented Eddie Howe and his players, local fans feared a tough game. However those fears disappeared due to a strike from the winger and two more from replacement the forward, ensuring Benfica's coach would not cause pain for Howe's team.

Match Flow and Initial Exchanges

Mourinho had predicted that Newcastle would be extremely aggressive, but his own team showed their similar combative approach. Benfica certainly enjoyed disrupting the Magpies' initial attempts to build a fluent attacking tempo.

Adding to Newcastle's issues, key players, Sandro Tonali and Joelinton, started on the bench as they continued recovering from sickness and injury respectively.

Before kick-off, the two managers shared a perfunctory, cool embrace, and it soon became apparent that the Benfica coach had instructed his team to quiet the crowd by delaying the game and reducing the intensity at every chance.

Critical Events and Decisive Actions

The visitors' strategy yielded varied results, but when Gordon and the Newcastle attack succeeded to dismantle the defensive barricades, they at first found it hard to create good opportunities.

Additionally, the Belgium attacker Dodi Lukebakio almost showed how to finish when, after leaving the defender on the ground, he tested Nick Pope with a powerful shot that got an terrific one-handed stop. It's no surprise the goalkeeper retains hope for an England return in time for the global tournament.

But when the winger hit another attempt off the woodwork, Newcastle roused themselves. Murphy fired wide, and Anatoliy Trubin made an impressive close-range stop from Guimaraes before Gordon finally broke the deadlock.

Gordon's blazing pace had caused consternation for Mourinho all evening, and he calmly slotted the first goal past Trubin after his teammate's quick ball into the box paid off.

When the Magpies' hard, pressing game was not second-guessed by the opposition, Jacob Murphy, preferred over the expensive signing, was there to deliver a ground cross across the goal for the winger to polish off.

Later Stages and Decisive Changes

From the beginning, the Portuguese team could not be accused of defending deeply and playing for a draw, but now Mourinho's side pushed forward with real abandon. Lukebakio consistently showed an skill to unsettle Newcastle's defense, and the home team were probably grateful to regroup at the break.

The first half concluded with Pope again saving his team by diverting Lukebakio's left-foot wide of the post, and as the teams emerged for the second half, the match seemed evenly poised.

While Gordon, evidently buoyed by scoring his fourth strike in three Champions League games this campaign, played with the zeal of a winger aiming to shift the balance in Newcastle's direction, Lukebakio had other ideas.

The manager's No 11 had previously shown that, while Burn is a fine central defender, he is not a born left-back, and home fans were nervous every time he moved forward.

The Newcastle manager might have felt easier had Miley, deputising for Tonali, not headed a set-piece above the crossbar from a good position. Instead, this absorbing contest continued to move from end to end, persuading Newcastle's coach to introduce Joelinton and Barnes in place of Jacob Ramsey and Murphy.

The Benfica boss, meanwhile, threw on an extra striker in Ivanovic. This would arguably prove a risk that backfired.

Barnes Wins the Game

Until then, Benfica, and especially their Portugal defender Silva, had performed a fine job in restricting Nick Woltemade's room and pushing the German striker back. However, with defender Dedic off, the defense was underpowered, and the path was clear for Harvey Barnes to prove that Anthony Gordon is not the manager's only goal-scoring wide player.

Newcastle's two changes was already proving effective by the time the goalkeeper dispatched a superb throw in Barnes's direction. When Silva, on this occasion, misjudged the flight, the winger was clear, sprinting into the penalty box before maintaining impressive composure to lash a superb strike past Trubin.

After Barnes rolled a low effort through unfortunate Trubin's feet after receiving Gordon's stellar through ball, it was all over. Mourinho had warned that Newcastle have several quick wingers, and three goals from a pair of wide men had shattered his hopes of earning Benfica's first European result of the season.