🔗 Share this article

When the Benfica manager came at St James' Park and praised Eddie Howe and his squad, home fans feared a difficult match. However such fears disappeared due to a goal from Anthony Gordon and two more from substitute Harvey Barnes, ensuring Benfica's coach did not inflict any trouble for Newcastle.

Match Dynamics and Initial Action

Mourinho had forecast that the home side would be very physical, but his own team displayed their similar combative approach. The visitors certainly enjoyed disrupting the Magpies' initial efforts to build a fluent attacking tempo.

Adding to Newcastle's challenges, two players, Sandro Tonali and Joelinton, started as substitutes as they continued convalescing from illness and injury each.

Before the start, the coaches exchanged a perfunctory, cool greeting, and it soon became clear that Mourinho had instructed his side to quiet the home fans by slowing the game and reducing the temperature whenever possible.

Critical Moments and Decisive Actions

The visitors' tactic yielded varied results, but when Gordon and the Newcastle attack succeeded to dismantle the backline, they at first struggled to generate good chances.

Moreover, the Belgian attacker Dodi Lukebakio almost demonstrated how to finish when, after leaving the defender on the ground, he forced Nick Pope with a powerful shot that got an excellent one-handed stop. No wonder the goalkeeper retains hope for an national team return in time for the global tournament.

Yet when Lukebakio hit another shot against the woodwork, Newcastle roused themselves. Murphy shot off target, and Anatoliy Trubin made an impressive close-range stop from Bruno Guimaraes before Gordon at last opened the scoreless tie.

The England winger's scorching pace had caused problems for Mourinho all night, and he neatly slotted the first goal past the goalkeeper after his teammate's quick ball into the box paid off.

On the occasion Newcastle's intense, high press was not second-guessed by the opposition, Murphy, chosen over the expensive signing, was there to pass a low ball across the face of goal for the winger to finish.

Second Half and Decisive Changes

From the beginning, Benfica could not be blamed of defending deeply and seeking a point, but now Mourinho's players pushed forward with real abandon. Lukebakio consistently displayed an ability to destabilize Newcastle's defense, and the Magpies were probably relieved to reset at the break.

The first half ended with Pope once more saving his side by tipping Lukebakio's left-foot around the post, and as the teams emerged for the second half, everything seemed finely balanced.

While Gordon, evidently buoyed by scoring his fourth strike in three Champions League appearances this season, played with the zeal of a wide player set to shift the balance in his team's favor, the Benfica attacker had other ideas.

The manager's winger had already emphasized that, while Burn is a fine central defender, he is not a born full-back, and Newcastle fans were nervous every time Lukebakio advanced.

The Newcastle manager might have felt easier had Miley, filling in for Sandro Tonali, not headed a corner over the crossbar from a well-placed position. Rather, this absorbing contest continued to move from end to end, prompting the manager to bring on Joelinton and Barnes in place of Jacob Ramsey and Murphy.

Mourinho, at the same time, brought on an extra striker in Franjo Ivanovic. It would arguably prove a risk too far.

Barnes Seals the Match

Until then, Benfica, and especially their Portugal back Antonio Silva, had done a good job in limiting Nick Woltemade's space and forcing the Germany striker deep. But now, with defender Amar Dedic off, the defense was underpowered, and the path was clear for Barnes to prove that Anthony Gordon is not Howe's only goal-scoring wide player.

The home side's double substitution was already proving effective by the time the goalkeeper dispatched a wonderful throw in the substitute's direction. When Silva, for once, misjudged the bounce, the winger was away, accelerating into the area before maintaining impressive composure to lash a superb shot past Trubin.

After Barnes slid a low effort through poor Trubin's feet after meeting Gordon's excellent through ball, it was finished. Mourinho had warned that the Magpies have several quick wingers, and three goals from a pair of wide men had shattered his hopes of securing the team's first Champions League result of the campaign.