Barnes Scores Twice as Newcastle Defeat Benfica and Jose Mourinho
As the Benfica manager came at St James' Park and praised Eddie Howe and his squad, home supporters were concerned about a tough game. However such fears vanished thanks to a goal from the winger and a brace from substitute the forward, making sure Benfica's coach did not inflict pain for Newcastle.
Match Dynamics and Early Exchanges
Mourinho had forecast that the home side would be extremely aggressive, but his own team displayed their similar combative style. The visitors certainly delighted in breaking up the Magpies' early efforts to establish a fluent attacking rhythm.
Compounding the home team's issues, two midfielders, Sandro Tonali and the Brazilian, started as substitutes as they continued convalescing from illness and injury respectively.
Before the start, the two managers exchanged a brief, cool greeting, and it quickly became clear that Mourinho had told his side to quiet the home fans by delaying the game and reducing the temperature at every chance.
Critical Events and Turning Points
Benfica's tactic produced mixed outcomes, but when Anthony Gordon and his teammates managed to break through the defensive barricades, they initially found it hard to create good opportunities.
Additionally, the Belgian winger Dodi Lukebakio almost demonstrated how to finish when, after beating the defender on the ground, he forced 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.
But when the winger directed a further shot off the post, the home side roused themselves. Jacob Murphy fired off target, and Anatoliy Trubin made an excellent near-post stop from Bruno Guimaraes before Gordon at last opened the scoreless tie.
The England winger's scorching speed had created problems for the Benfica coach all evening, and he calmly side-footed the opener past the goalkeeper after Murphy's quick cross into the area paid off.
When the Magpies' hard, high press was not anticipated by Benfica, Jacob Murphy, chosen over the expensive signing, was there to deliver a ground cross across the face of goal for the winger to polish off.
Later Stages and Match-Winning Substitutions
Right from the start, the Portuguese team could not be blamed of defending deeply and seeking a point, but now Mourinho's players pushed forward with total abandon. The winger consistently displayed an skill to unsettle Howe's defense, and the Magpies were likely grateful to regroup at half-time.
The opening period concluded with the keeper once more saving his team by tipping Lukebakio's left-foot wide of the post, and as the teams emerged for the next period, everything seemed finely balanced.
If Anthony Gordon, clearly buoyed by netting his fourth goal in three European appearances this campaign, played with the zeal of a winger set to shift the power balance in his team's favor, the Benfica attacker had other plans.
Mourinho's No 11 had previously emphasized that, while Dan Burn is a fine central defender, he is not a born full-back, and Newcastle fans were in mouths every time Lukebakio advanced.
The Newcastle manager might have relaxed had Lewis Miley, filling in for Tonali, not headed a corner over the bar from a good position. Instead, this absorbing game continued to move from one goal to the other, persuading the manager to introduce the midfielder and Barnes in place of Jacob Ramsey and Jacob Murphy.
The Benfica boss, at the same time, brought on an extra striker in Franjo Ivanovic. It would arguably prove a risk that backfired.
Barnes Seals the Game
Before that, the away team, and especially their Portuguese defender Antonio Silva, had performed a fine job in limiting Nick Woltemade's space and pushing Newcastle's German centre-forward deep. But now, with right-back Amar Dedic substituted, the defense was underpowered, and the path was clear for Barnes to show that Anthony Gordon is not Howe's only attacking winger.
Newcastle's two changes was already proving effective by the time the goalkeeper sent a superb throw in the substitute's path. When Antonio Silva, on this occasion, misjudged the flight, Barnes was clear, sprinting into the area before keeping commendable composure to lash a sublime strike past the keeper.
When Harvey Barnes rolled a shot through unfortunate the goalkeeper's feet after receiving Anthony Gordon's stellar through ball, it was finished. Mourinho had warned that Newcastle have several very fast wingers, and three goals from a pair of wingers had destroyed his chances of securing Benfica's first European points of the campaign.
