NEWCASTLE, England – Marcus Rashford scored twice to help Barcelona beat Newcastle United 2-1 at St. James’ Park on Wednesday night, getting their Champions League campaign off to a winning start despite a late scare from the home side.
The Magpies came flying out of the blocks in front of their passionate crowd and should of taken the lead early on. Anthony Gordon somehow missed a great cross from Anthony Elanga when it looked easier to score, then Harvey Barnes got saved by the offside flag after Joan García got a hand to his shot. At the other end Rashford nearly silenced the home fans with a good run into the box but his finish was poor.
Newcastle was the better team in the first half, playing a much more physical game that Barcelona struggled with. Elanga created another brilliant chance for Barnes but García made another good save to keep it 0-0. Pedri started to get more involved as the half went on and Joelinton got booked for pulling him back. Barcelona tried to take control near halftime but Raphinha’s free-kick was way off target and summed up their poor attacking play.
The second half started with Newcastle creating more problems from a corner but neither team could find the breakthrough until the hour mark. That’s when Rashford finally got his first goal for Barcelona, powering a header from Jules Koundé’s cross into the far corner. It was their first shot on target all game which shows how well Newcastle had defended.
Eddie Howe made four changes straight away trying to get back into the game, bringing on new striker Nick Woltemade among others. But just nine minutes later Rashford killed off any Newcastle hopes with a stunning individual goal. He picked up the ball and thundered a shot into the top corner that left Nick Pope with no chance. It was a brilliant finish and gave the Manchester United loanee his 10th goal in 12 games against Newcastle.
The home crowd went quiet after that but Newcastle kept fighting. Bruno Guimarães had a decent shot that García saved on 73 minutes, then right at the death Anthony Gordon managed to pull one back. Jacob Murphy played it across and Gordon guided it home to give the fans something to cheer about and set up a nervy finish.
Barcelona held on though to get their first win, which continues their good record against English teams in Europe. For Newcastle this was another disappointment in what’s been a tough start to the season with just one win in their last five games across all competitions.
