🔗 Share this article

As Jose Mourinho came at Newcastle's stadium and praised Eddie Howe and his squad, home supporters feared a difficult game. However such fears disappeared thanks to a goal from the winger and two more from replacement the forward, making sure Benfica's new manager would not cause pain for Newcastle.

Match Flow and Initial Exchanges

The Benfica boss had forecast that Newcastle would be extremely aggressive, but his Benfica players showed their own combative approach. The visitors certainly enjoyed disrupting the Magpies' initial attempts to build a fluent attacking rhythm.

Adding to Newcastle's issues, two midfielders, Tonali and the Brazilian, started on the bench as they continued recovering from illness and a knock each.

Before kick-off, the coaches exchanged a perfunctory, cool embrace, and it quickly became apparent that Mourinho had instructed his team to quiet the home fans by delaying Newcastle and reducing the intensity whenever possible.

Key Events and Turning Points

Benfica's strategy produced varied outcomes, but when Anthony Gordon and his teammates succeeded to dismantle Benfica's backline, they initially struggled to generate good chances.

Moreover, the Belgium attacker Dodi Lukebakio nearly showed how to finish when, after beating the defender on the ground, he tested Newcastle's keeper with a tremendous strike that got an excellent single-hand save. It's no surprise Pope still hopes for an England return in time for the World Cup.

Yet when the winger hit a further attempt off the post, the home side woke up. Jacob Murphy shot wide, and Benfica's keeper made an impressive close-range stop from Bruno Guimaraes before Anthony Gordon finally broke the deadlock.

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

On the occasion Newcastle's hard, high press was not second-guessed by Benfica, Murphy, preferred over the expensive signing, was there to pass a low cross across the goal for Gordon to finish.

Later Stages and Decisive Substitutions

Right from the start, the Portuguese team could not be blamed of defending deeply and seeking a point, but now their players pushed forward with real abandon. Lukebakio repeatedly displayed an skill to unsettle Howe's defense, and the home team were likely relieved to reset at half-time.

The opening period concluded with Pope again rescuing his side by tipping the attacker's left-foot around the goal frame, and as the sides came out for the second half, the match seemed finely balanced.

If Gordon, clearly boosted by netting his fourth strike in three Champions League appearances this season, played with the zeal of a winger set to alter the balance in Newcastle's direction, Lukebakio had other plans.

Mourinho's winger had previously emphasized that, while Burn is a fine central defender, he is not a born left-back, and Newcastle fans were nervous every time he moved forward.

The Newcastle manager might have felt easier had Lewis Miley, filling in for Tonali, not headed a set-piece above the crossbar from a well-placed position. Rather, this absorbing contest continued to swing from end to end, prompting the manager to bring on the midfielder and Harvey Barnes in place of Jacob Ramsey and Murphy.

The Benfica boss, at the same time, threw on an additional forward in Ivanovic. This would perhaps prove a gamble too far.

Barnes Wins the Match

Before that, Benfica, and especially their Portugal back Antonio Silva, had done a good job in restricting Nick Woltemade's room and pushing Newcastle's German striker deep. But now, with defender Dedic off, the backline was weakened, and the way was open for Harvey Barnes to show that 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 wonderful throw in Barnes's path. When Antonio Silva, for once, misjudged the bounce, the winger was away, accelerating into the area before keeping impressive poise to fire a superb strike past Trubin.

After Barnes slid a shot through unfortunate Trubin's legs after meeting Anthony Gordon's excellent through ball, it was all over. The Benfica manager had warned that Newcastle have four quick wingers, and a trio of strikes from a pair of wide men had shattered his hopes of securing Benfica's first European points of the campaign.