🔗 Share this article

As the Benfica manager arrived at St James' Park and complimented Newcastle's coach and his players, home fans feared a tough match. However those fears vanished due to a goal from the winger and two more from substitute the forward, making sure Benfica's coach would not cause any trouble for Newcastle.

Match Flow and Initial Action

Mourinho had predicted that Newcastle would be extremely aggressive, but his Benfica players showed their similar aggressive style. The visitors certainly enjoyed disrupting Newcastle's early attempts to establish a smooth attacking tempo.

Adding to the home team's challenges, key players, Tonali and Joelinton, started as substitutes as they were recovering from sickness and a knock each.

Before kick-off, the coaches shared a perfunctory, reserved greeting, and it soon became clear that Mourinho had instructed his side to subdue the home fans by slowing Newcastle and lowering the intensity at every chance.

Critical Moments and Decisive Actions

The visitors' tactic yielded mixed outcomes, but when Anthony Gordon and his teammates succeeded to break through Benfica's backline, they initially struggled to create clear opportunities.

Moreover, Benfica's Belgian winger Lukebakio almost showed how to finish when, after leaving the defender behind, he tested Newcastle's keeper with a tremendous strike that got an terrific one-handed save. It's no surprise the goalkeeper retains hope for an national team recall in time for the global tournament.

But when the winger hit another attempt against the post, the home side woke up. Jacob Murphy fired off target, and Anatoliy Trubin made an impressive close-range stop from Bruno Guimaraes before Anthony Gordon at last broke the scoreless tie.

The England winger's blazing speed had caused consternation for the Benfica coach all evening, and he neatly slotted the opener past Trubin after his teammate's early cross into the box paid off.

When Newcastle's intense, pressing game was not second-guessed by the opposition, Jacob Murphy, chosen over the expensive signing, 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, the Portuguese team could not be blamed of parking the bus and seeking a point, but now Mourinho's players attacked with total abandon. The winger repeatedly showed an skill to destabilize Howe's back four, and the Magpies were probably relieved to reset at half-time.

The opening period ended with Pope again saving his side by tipping the attacker's shot around the post, and as the sides emerged for the next period, the match seemed evenly poised.

While Anthony Gordon, clearly buoyed by netting his fourth strike in three European games this season, played with the zeal of a wide player set to alter the power balance in Newcastle's direction, Lukebakio had other plans.

The manager's No 11 had previously emphasized that, while Dan Burn is a fine central defender, he is not a natural full-back, and home hearts were in mouths every time he moved forward.

Howe might have felt easier had Miley, filling in for Tonali, not headed a set-piece over the bar from a good spot. Instead, this absorbing contest continued to move from one goal to the other, persuading Newcastle's manager to introduce the midfielder and Barnes in place of Ramsey and Jacob Murphy.

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

Harvey Barnes Seals the Match

Before that, the away team, and in particular their Portugal defender Antonio Silva, had performed a good job in limiting Woltemade's room and forcing Newcastle's German centre-forward back. However, with defender Amar Dedic substituted, the defense was weakened, and the way was clear for Harvey Barnes to show that Anthony Gordon is not Howe's only attacking wide player.

The home side's two changes was already proving effective by the time the goalkeeper dispatched a superb long throw in the substitute's path. When Silva, on this occasion, misread the bounce, the winger was away, sprinting into the area before maintaining impressive composure to fire a superb strike past the keeper.

When Harvey Barnes rolled a shot through unfortunate the goalkeeper's legs after receiving Gordon's excellent through ball, it was finished. Mourinho had warned that the Magpies have several quick wide attackers, and a trio of strikes from two wingers had destroyed his chances of earning Benfica's first European result of the season.