Barnes Fires Twice as The Magpies Defeat Portuguese Side and Mourinho
As the Benfica manager arrived at St James' Park and complimented Newcastle's coach and his players, home fans were concerned about a difficult match. However those fears disappeared thanks to a strike from Anthony Gordon and two more from substitute the forward, making sure the visitors' new manager did not inflict any trouble for Newcastle.
Game Flow and Early Exchanges
Mourinho had forecast that the home side would be very physical, but his Benfica players displayed their similar combative style. The visitors certainly enjoyed disrupting the Magpies' initial attempts to establish a smooth passing tempo.
Compounding the home team's challenges, key midfielders, Sandro Tonali and the Brazilian, began on the bench as they were convalescing from sickness and injury each.
Before kick-off, the two managers shared a brief, reserved embrace, and it quickly became clear that the Benfica coach had told his side to subdue the home fans by slowing the game and lowering the intensity whenever possible.
Critical Moments and Turning Points
Benfica's tactic produced mixed outcomes, but when Gordon and the Newcastle attack succeeded to dismantle Benfica's defensive barricades, they at first struggled to generate clear chances.
Additionally, the Belgian winger Dodi Lukebakio almost showed how to finish when, after beating Dan Burn behind, he tested Nick Pope with a tremendous shot that got an terrific one-handed save. No wonder the goalkeeper retains hope for an England recall in time for the World Cup.
Yet when Lukebakio hit a further attempt against the post, Newcastle roused themselves. Murphy fired wide, and Anatoliy Trubin made an impressive near-post stop from Guimaraes before Gordon finally broke the scoreless tie.
The England winger's blazing speed had caused problems for the Benfica coach all evening, and he calmly slotted the first goal past the goalkeeper after his teammate's quick cross into the box proved effective.
On the occasion Newcastle's hard, high press was not second-guessed by Benfica, Jacob Murphy, chosen over £55m Anthony Elanga, was available to pass a ground cross across the goal for the winger to polish off.
Second Half and Match-Winning Changes
Right from the start, Benfica could not be blamed of parking the bus and seeking a point, but now their players attacked with real abandon. Lukebakio consistently showed an skill to destabilize Howe's back four, and the home team were probably grateful to regroup at half-time.
The first half concluded with Pope again rescuing his team by diverting Lukebakio's left-foot around the post, and as the sides emerged for the second half, everything seemed finely balanced.
While Anthony Gordon, evidently buoyed by scoring his fourth strike in three European appearances this season, played with the determination of a wide player set to shift the balance in his team's favor, Lukebakio had different plans.
The manager's winger had already shown that, while Burn is a capable centre-back, he is not a natural left-back, and home fans were in mouths every time he moved forward.
Howe might have felt easier had Lewis Miley, filling in for Sandro Tonali, not headed a set-piece above the crossbar from a good position. Instead, this absorbing game continued to move from one goal to the other, persuading the coach to bring on Joelinton and Barnes in place of Jacob Ramsey and Jacob Murphy.
The Benfica boss, at the same time, threw on an additional striker in Franjo Ivanovic. It would arguably prove a risk that backfired.
Barnes Wins the Match
Until then, Benfica, and in particular their Portuguese defender Antonio Silva, had done a fine job in limiting Nick Woltemade's space and pushing Newcastle's Germany striker deep. But now, with right-back Amar Dedic substituted, the backline was weakened, and the path was open for Harvey Barnes to show that Gordon is not the manager's only attacking wide player.
Newcastle's double substitution was already paying off by the time Pope dispatched a superb throw in the substitute's direction. When Antonio Silva, on this occasion, misread the bounce, Barnes was clear, accelerating into the area before keeping commendable poise to fire a superb strike past the keeper.
After Barnes slid a shot through unfortunate Trubin's feet after receiving Gordon's stellar pass, it was all over. Mourinho had warned that the Magpies have four very fast wingers, and three goals from two wingers had destroyed his chances of securing the team's first European points of the campaign.
