Barnes Fires Twice as The Magpies Overcome Portuguese Side and Jose Mourinho

As Jose Mourinho came at Newcastle's stadium and complimented Newcastle's coach and his players, home supporters feared a tough game. However such fears vanished due to a goal from Anthony Gordon and a brace from substitute the forward, ensuring the visitors' new manager did not inflict pain for Newcastle.

Game Dynamics and Initial Action

The Benfica boss had predicted that Newcastle would be extremely aggressive, but his own team showed their own aggressive approach. Benfica clearly delighted in breaking up the Magpies' initial efforts to establish a smooth attacking tempo.

Adding to Newcastle's challenges, two players, Sandro Tonali and the Brazilian, began on the bench as they were recovering from sickness and injury respectively.

Before the start, the two managers exchanged a brief, cool embrace, and it soon became clear that the Benfica coach had told his team to quiet the crowd by delaying Newcastle and lowering the temperature at every chance.

Critical Events and Decisive Actions

Benfica's tactic yielded mixed outcomes, but when Gordon and his teammates succeeded to break through the backline, they at first struggled to create clear chances.

Additionally, Benfica's Belgian attacker Lukebakio nearly demonstrated scoring skill when, after leaving the defender on the ground, he tested Newcastle's keeper with a tremendous strike that required an excellent one-handed save. It's no surprise Pope still hopes for an national team return in time for the World Cup.

Yet when the winger directed a further attempt off the post, the home side woke up. Murphy fired off target, and Anatoliy Trubin made an excellent near-post stop from Guimaraes before Anthony Gordon at last opened the deadlock.

The England winger's scorching speed had created problems for the Benfica coach all evening, and he calmly side-footed the first goal past Trubin after Murphy's quick ball into the area paid off.

When the Magpies' hard, pressing game was not second-guessed by the opposition, Murphy, preferred over £55m Anthony Elanga, was there to deliver a low cross across the goal for the winger to polish off.

Later Stages and Decisive Changes

From the beginning, the Portuguese team could not be accused of parking the bus and seeking a point, but now their players pushed forward with real abandon. Lukebakio repeatedly displayed an ability to destabilize Howe's defense, and the Magpies were probably relieved to reset at half-time.

The opening period concluded with Pope once more saving his side by diverting Lukebakio's left-foot around the post, and as the teams emerged for the next period, everything seemed evenly balanced.

While Anthony Gordon, evidently buoyed by scoring his fourth goal in three Champions League appearances this season, played with the zeal of a winger set to alter the balance in his team's direction, Lukebakio had other ideas.

The manager's winger had previously shown that, while Dan Burn is a fine centre-back, he is not a natural left-back, and home fans were in mouths every time he moved forward.

Howe might have relaxed had Lewis Miley, deputising for Tonali, not headed a corner over the bar from a well-placed position. Rather, this absorbing game continued to move from end to end, persuading Newcastle's coach to bring on Joelinton and Harvey Barnes in place of Jacob Ramsey and Jacob Murphy.

Mourinho, at the same time, brought on an additional striker in Ivanovic. It would arguably prove a gamble that backfired.

Barnes Wins the Game

Before that, the away team, and in particular their Portugal defender Antonio Silva, had done a fine job in limiting Woltemade's room and forcing Newcastle's Germany centre-forward deep. However, with right-back Dedic substituted, the backline was underpowered, and the path was open for Barnes to prove that Anthony Gordon is not Howe's only goal-scoring wide player.

The home side's double substitution was already proving effective by the time Pope sent a superb long throw in Barnes's direction. When Antonio Silva, on this occasion, misread the bounce, Barnes was away, accelerating into the area before maintaining commendable poise to fire a sublime shot past Trubin.

After Barnes slid a shot through poor Trubin's legs after meeting Gordon's stellar through ball, it was all over. Mourinho had warned that Newcastle have several quick wingers, and three goals from a pair of wingers had destroyed his hopes of securing Benfica's first Champions League result of the campaign.