Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang scored twice in four minutes as Marseille made a comeback in the Champions League, beating Newcastle 2-1 at the Stade Velodrome.
Newcastle took the lead after just six minutes when Harvey Barnes scored his fourth goal of the competition. It was part of a ferocious start for the visitors, who had just seen Malick Thiau’s header cleared on the goal line by former Tottenham midfielder Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg.
However, in the second half, Aubameyang burst out of the blocks and caught Darryl Bakora’s through ball, and despite the expected distance and difficult angle, he took a touch past the onrushing Nick Pope, curling up and heading home in a comical manner.
The 36-year-old Aubameyang, who didn’t seem to be losing much of his pace, quickly ghosted into the area and tapped in Timothy Weah’s cross to complete the comeback.
The former Arsenal and Chelsea player’s 19th and 20th Champions League goals thwarted Newcastle’s chances of winning a fourth successive Champions League win and moving into fourth place.
Harvey Barnes gave Newcastle the lead after six minutes.
Aubameyang has enjoyed a resurgence at Marseille, with these two games contributing to 16 goals in 16 games this season. Marseille also last won against Chelsea in 2010, ending a 15-year wait for victory against an English opponent.
Eddie Howe’s side are at risk of dropping out of the top eight after Wednesday’s game after failing to build on their momentum after their impressive performance against Manchester City in the Premier League. Newcastle’s away defeat further exacerbates the problem, as the Magpies have won just one of their last eight away games.
Aubameyang: Still having fun at 36
Aubameyang, who scored his 400th career goal in Marseille’s win over Nice in the league last weekend, said he enjoys playing football despite his age.
“I’m very happy to come to this club and enjoy moments like tonight,” he told TNT Sports.
“It was a great game. We started a little sloppy, but I think we responded well and it was important to win today.”
After scoring his 400th career goal over the weekend, he said: “A lot, hopefully a lot (more). Even at 36, I feel great, but I’m enjoying it. When you step away from these types of games, you want to play more and score more.”
“I think (the win) was very, very important, especially at home, for the fans and for us. I think if we want to advance, obviously we need to win games, so it was very important.”
Howe: The start of the second half cost us.
Use Chrome Browser for a more accessible video player
After a strong first-half performance, Eddie Howe was disappointed to lose away to Marseille in the Champions League.
Newcastle manager Eddie Howe told TNT Sport:
“I thought the effort was good. Obviously, I think the start of the second half was big for us. I thought the first 15 minutes of the second half cost us.”
“I thought we handled the atmosphere well in the first half and felt like we had a chance to score even towards the end of the game.”
“I think a goal right after half-time, close enough, changes the whole atmosphere of the stadium and the game itself.
“I think from our point of view it was just a lack of concentration. After that we probably didn’t react well enough to it. We conceded the second goal and it was difficult from there.”
