Just a little over 24 hours earlier than kick-off, Hansi Flick spoke about how fortunate he felt to have acquired Marcus Rashford on mortgage from Manchester United.
Barcelona's supervisor was not remotely bothered that the ahead's inventory had fallen thus far at Previous Trafford. Rashford, he mentioned, was a participant he had lengthy admired and will assist enhance.
Within the 82nd minute, Rashford walked off wreathed in smiles earlier than being wrapped in Flick's heartfelt embrace. Ruben Amorim's bete noire had simply scored two splendid targets that not merely rendered Eddie Howe's somewhat efficient gameplan educational however silenced St James' Park.
With Faustino Asprilla – the scorer of a well-known hat-trick for Newcastle as Barcelona succumbed 3-2 on Tyneside in 1997 – having flown in from Colombia to assist cheer on his previous staff, it was not speculated to be like this. Not even Anthony Gordon's Ninetieth-minute comfort may upstage Rashford as Flick's gamers expertly managed seven minutes of stoppage time.
Till then it was no night time for sluggish coaches. Not with so many explosions of tempo all around the pitch and on the respective proper wings particularly. If Raphinha's speedy acceleration down that flank for Barcelona typically stretched Tino Livramento to the restrict, the sprinting powers of Newcastle's Anthony Elanga typically appeared totally irresistible.
From one such advance Elanga scorched previous Gerard Martín earlier than crossing for Gordon however Newcastle's out-of-position centre-forward did not make contact. May Nick Woltemade have performed higher? Fairly presumably, however Newcastle's £70m Germany striker started on the bench after Howe sensibly determined three video games in every week could be past the 6ft 6in new boy at this stage.
Nonetheless, Newcastle's supervisor may definitely have performed with Woltemade's sureness of contact as Harvey Barnes dinked the ball over Joan García solely to direct it large of a submit. On that event Barnes's blushes had been spared by a linesman's offside flag however he would later be denied by the goalkeeper when clear by way of on the counterattack.
But, if their ending was discovered wanting, Newcastle initially pressed so onerous and excessive they refused to permit the La Liga champions to claim any sustained midfield management.
The hazard was that if Newcastle even momentarily misplaced focus, Raphinha or Rashford would race away from them. Rashford appeared razor sharp and had residence hearts in mouths after tricking Kieran Trippier earlier than leaving the previous England full-back trailing in his wake. He finally shot large however Howe knew it represented a reprieve.
With Flick's brightest expertise, Lamine Yamal, again in Barcelona nursing his injured groin, alternative beckoned for a Newcastle facet cleverly mixing lengthy balls with slick, quick passing. But in addition to they did to maintain the match evenly balanced, García was hardly troubled.
Though Sandro Tonali, as soon as once more great in midfield, prompted a sequence of promising strikes and cross after cross flew into Barcelona's field, the dearth of specialist striker ensured they got here to nothing.
Tonali's presence as a disruptor additionally dictated that Nick Pope remained usually properly protected as Barcelona struggled to hitch their attacking dots and a annoyed Robert Lewandowski implored the referee to guide his assiduous minder, Fabian Schär.
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But by the forty fifth minute, Dan Burn collected a yellow card after catching Jules Koundé's ankle – a pink card offence in response to Flick – and Barcelona's endurance had begun to repay. In refusing to be drawn right into a bodily battle, the guests more and more managed the sport properly.
With Newcastle lastly beginning to tire, Barcelona's endurance was mirrored by some incisive passing sequences. The scene was set for Rashford to jog a number of reminiscences by connecting with the wonderful Koundé's left-footed cross and flashing an unstoppable glancing header previous Pope. An ideal fusion of energy and accuracy, it was his first aim for Barcelona and arrived after he cleverly manoeuvred himself away from Schär.
It served because the sign for Howe to lastly introduce Woltemade as a part of a quadruple substitution however, earlier than the newcomers may make a distinction, Rashford struck once more.
If his opener was good, his second was elegant. Having dodged Tonali, he unleashed a 20-yard shot that pinged the crossbar en path to the again of the online. Rashford at all times tended to do properly towards Newcastle for Manchester United and it appears switching shirts has not lessened that urge for food.
Though Gordon lastly proved he can rating in spite of everything by sliding residence Murphy's cross on the far submit, the primary Englishman to attain for Barcelona since Gary Lineker had already performed sufficient.
