Barnes Fires Twice as Newcastle Defeat Portuguese Side and Mourinho
When Jose Mourinho arrived at St James' Park and praised Eddie Howe and his players, local supporters were concerned about a difficult game. But those fears vanished thanks to a strike from the winger and a brace from substitute the forward, making sure Benfica's new manager did not inflict pain for Howe's team.
Match Dynamics and Initial Exchanges
The Benfica boss had forecast that the home side would be very physical, but his Benfica players showed their similar combative approach. Benfica clearly delighted in breaking up Newcastle's early attempts to establish a fluent passing rhythm.
Compounding Newcastle's challenges, two players, Tonali and Joelinton, began on the bench 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 quiet the home fans by delaying Newcastle and reducing the intensity whenever possible.
Critical Events and Turning Points
Benfica's tactic produced varied outcomes, but when Gordon and the Newcastle attack succeeded to break through Benfica's backline, they at first found it hard to create good chances.
Moreover, the Belgium winger Dodi Lukebakio almost demonstrated how to finish when, after leaving the defender on the ground, he forced Nick Pope with a powerful shot that got an terrific single-hand stop. No wonder Pope retains hope for an national team return in time for the global tournament.
Yet when Lukebakio hit another shot against the woodwork, the home side woke up. Murphy fired off target, and Anatoliy Trubin made an excellent close-range stop from Guimaraes before Gordon at last broke the deadlock.
Gordon's scorching speed had created consternation for Mourinho all night, and he neatly slotted the first goal past Trubin after his teammate's quick cross into the area paid off.
On the occasion the Magpies' hard, pressing game was not anticipated by Benfica, Murphy, chosen over £55m Anthony Elanga, was there to pass a low ball across the goal for the winger to finish.
Second Half and Decisive Substitutions
From the beginning, the Portuguese team could not be accused of parking the bus and playing for a draw, but now their players pushed forward with real freedom. The winger consistently displayed an skill to unsettle Howe's back four, and the Magpies were probably relieved to regroup at the break.
The opening period ended with the keeper again rescuing his team by tipping the attacker's left-foot wide of the goal frame, and as the teams emerged for the next period, everything seemed evenly poised.
If 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 his team's favor, the Benfica attacker had different ideas.
Mourinho's No 11 had previously emphasized that, while Dan Burn is a capable centre-back, he is not a natural full-back, and home fans were nervous every time Lukebakio moved forward.
The Newcastle manager might have relaxed had Lewis Miley, filling in for Tonali, not headed a set-piece over the crossbar from a well-placed position. Instead, this absorbing game continued to swing from end to end, persuading Newcastle's coach to bring on Joelinton and Barnes in place of Jacob Ramsey and Jacob Murphy.
Mourinho, at the same time, threw on an additional striker in Ivanovic. This would perhaps prove a gamble too far.
Harvey Barnes Wins the Game
Until then, Benfica, and especially their Portugal defender Silva, had performed a fine job in limiting Woltemade's room and forcing Newcastle's Germany centre-forward deep. However, with right-back Dedic substituted, the defense was weakened, and the path was open for Harvey Barnes to show that Anthony Gordon is not the manager's only goal-scoring winger.
Newcastle's double substitution was already paying off by the time Pope dispatched a superb long throw in the substitute's path. When Silva, for once, misjudged the bounce, Barnes was away, sprinting into the area before maintaining commendable composure to fire a superb shot past the keeper.
After Harvey Barnes rolled a shot through unfortunate Trubin's legs after receiving Anthony Gordon's excellent through ball, it was all over. The Benfica manager had warned that the Magpies have four quick wide attackers, and three goals from a pair of wide men had shattered his hopes of securing the team's first European result of the campaign.
