Barnes Scores Two Goals as The Magpies Overcome Portuguese Side and Mourinho

When the Benfica manager arrived at Newcastle's stadium and praised Eddie Howe and his squad, local fans feared a difficult match. But those worries vanished due to a strike from the winger and a brace from substitute the forward, ensuring Benfica's coach did not inflict any trouble for Newcastle.

Match Dynamics and Early Exchanges

The Benfica boss had forecast that the home side would be extremely aggressive, but his own team showed their own aggressive style. The visitors clearly enjoyed disrupting Newcastle's early efforts to build a fluent attacking tempo.

Compounding the home team's challenges, two midfielders, Sandro Tonali and Joelinton, began as substitutes as they continued convalescing from sickness and injury each.

Prior to the start, the two managers exchanged a brief, cool embrace, and it soon became clear that the Benfica coach had instructed his side to subdue the home fans by slowing the game and lowering the intensity whenever possible.

Key Moments and Decisive Actions

The visitors' strategy produced varied outcomes, but when Gordon and his teammates succeeded to dismantle Benfica's defensive barricades, they at first struggled to create good opportunities.

Moreover, the Belgium winger Dodi Lukebakio nearly showed how to finish when, after beating Dan Burn behind, he forced Nick Pope with a powerful shot that got an excellent single-hand stop. It's no surprise the goalkeeper retains hope for an national team return in time for the global tournament.

Yet when the winger directed another attempt against the post, the home side roused themselves. Murphy fired wide, and Anatoliy Trubin made an excellent near-post stop from Guimaraes before Gordon finally broke the scoreless tie.

Gordon's scorching speed had caused problems for Mourinho all evening, and he calmly side-footed the opener past Trubin after his teammate's early ball into the box paid off.

On the occasion the Magpies' hard, pressing game was not second-guessed by Benfica, Murphy, chosen over £55m Anthony Elanga, was there to deliver a ground cross across the goal for the winger to finish.

Later Stages and Decisive Changes

From the beginning, Benfica could not be accused of defending deeply and playing for a draw, but now Mourinho's side attacked with total abandon. Lukebakio repeatedly displayed an ability to destabilize Newcastle's back four, and the Magpies were likely grateful to regroup at the break.

The opening period concluded with Pope once more rescuing his team by tipping Lukebakio's left-foot around the goal frame, and as the teams came out for the second half, everything seemed evenly balanced.

If Anthony Gordon, clearly buoyed by scoring his fourth strike in three Champions League appearances this campaign, played with the determination of a wide player set to shift the balance in Newcastle's favor, Lukebakio had different ideas.

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

Howe might have relaxed had Miley, filling in for Tonali, not headed a set-piece over the crossbar from a well-placed spot. Instead, this thrilling game continued to move from end to end, prompting Newcastle's coach to bring on the midfielder and Harvey Barnes in place of Jacob Ramsey and Jacob Murphy.

The Benfica boss, meanwhile, brought on an additional forward in Franjo Ivanovic. This would perhaps prove a risk that backfired.

Harvey Barnes Seals the Match

Until then, Benfica, and in particular their Portugal defender Silva, had done a good job in limiting Woltemade's room and pushing Newcastle's German centre-forward deep. However, with right-back Dedic off, the defense was weakened, and the way was open for Harvey Barnes to show that Gordon is not Howe's only attacking wide player.

The home side's two changes was already paying off by the time the goalkeeper sent a wonderful long throw in Barnes's direction. When Antonio Silva, for once, misread the flight, the winger was clear, sprinting into the area before keeping commendable poise to lash a superb shot past Trubin.

When Barnes slid a low effort through unfortunate the goalkeeper's legs after receiving Gordon's excellent through ball, it was all over. The Benfica manager had warned that Newcastle have several very fast wingers, and three goals from two wingers had destroyed his chances of earning the team's first European result of the campaign.