Harvey Barnes Fires Two Goals as The Magpies Defeat Benfica and Mourinho
As Jose Mourinho arrived at St James' Park and praised Eddie Howe and his squad, local supporters were concerned about a tough match. However those fears disappeared thanks to a strike from Anthony Gordon and a brace from substitute the forward, ensuring Benfica's coach did not inflict pain for Newcastle.
Match Flow and Early Action
Mourinho had predicted that the home side would be extremely aggressive, but his own team showed their similar aggressive style. The visitors clearly enjoyed disrupting the Magpies' early attempts to build a fluent passing tempo.
Compounding the home team's issues, key players, Sandro Tonali and Joelinton, began as substitutes as they were convalescing from illness and a knock respectively.
Before kick-off, the two managers shared a perfunctory, reserved greeting, and it soon became clear that Mourinho had instructed his side to subdue the crowd by delaying Newcastle and reducing the intensity whenever possible.
Key Events and Decisive Actions
The visitors' strategy produced varied outcomes, but when Gordon and the Newcastle attack succeeded to dismantle Benfica's defensive barricades, they initially struggled to create clear chances.
Moreover, Benfica's Belgian attacker Dodi Lukebakio nearly showed how to finish when, after beating Dan Burn on the ground, he tested Newcastle's keeper with a powerful shot that got an terrific one-handed save. It's no surprise Pope still hopes for an England recall in time for the World Cup.
Yet when the winger directed another attempt against the post, Newcastle woke up. Jacob Murphy fired wide, and Benfica's keeper made an excellent close-range stop from Bruno Guimaraes before Gordon finally broke the deadlock.
Gordon's scorching pace had caused problems for Mourinho all evening, and he neatly slotted the first goal past Trubin after his teammate's early ball into the box proved effective.
On the occasion the Magpies' hard, high press was not second-guessed by the opposition, Murphy, chosen over £55m Anthony Elanga, was there to pass a ground ball across the face of goal for the winger to polish off.
Later Stages and Decisive Changes
From the beginning, Benfica could not be accused of parking the bus and playing for a draw, but now Mourinho's players pushed forward with real freedom. The winger consistently displayed an ability to unsettle Newcastle's back four, and the home team were likely relieved to regroup at half-time.
The first half concluded with Pope once more saving his side by diverting the attacker's shot wide of the post, and as the sides came out for the next period, the match seemed finely balanced.
While Gordon, clearly buoyed by scoring his fourth strike in three European appearances this season, played with the zeal of a wide player aiming to shift the power balance in Newcastle's favor, the Benfica attacker had other ideas.
The manager's winger had already shown that, while Burn is a fine centre-back, he is not a born full-back, and Newcastle fans were in mouths every time Lukebakio advanced.
The Newcastle manager might have felt easier had Lewis Miley, deputising for Tonali, not directed a corner over the crossbar from a good position. Instead, this absorbing contest continued to swing from one goal to the other, prompting the coach to introduce Joelinton and Harvey Barnes in place of Jacob Ramsey and Jacob Murphy.
The Benfica boss, at the same time, threw on an extra forward in Franjo Ivanovic. This would perhaps prove a risk too far.
Barnes Wins the Game
Until then, the away team, and especially their Portugal back Silva, had done a fine job in restricting Nick Woltemade's space and forcing the Germany striker back. But now, with defender Dedic off, the defense was underpowered, and the way was open for Harvey Barnes to prove that Gordon is not Howe's only goal-scoring winger.
The home side's double substitution was already paying off by the time the goalkeeper sent a wonderful long throw in Barnes's direction. When Antonio Silva, on this occasion, misjudged the flight, Barnes was clear, sprinting into the area before maintaining impressive poise to fire a sublime shot past the keeper.
When Harvey Barnes slid a shot through poor Trubin's feet after receiving Anthony Gordon's excellent pass, it was finished. Mourinho had cautioned that Newcastle have four very fast wide attackers, and a trio of strikes from two wingers had shattered his chances of securing the team's first European result of the campaign.
