Newcastle’s Champions League dreams were dashed with a 7-2 defeat to Barcelona. The Spanish side won 8-3 on aggregate and advanced to the quarterfinals.
Newcastle traveled to Spain hoping to make history, and they did. This is a joint record for the most goals conceded by an English team in a Champions League match.
Eddie Howe’s side completely collapsed in the second half at the Spotify Camp Nou, with Raphinha and Robert Lewandowski suffering from some truly miserable defending.
The 3,000 fans in Newcastle’s away section, and an estimated 7,000 watching elsewhere in the city, would have still believed an upset had occurred at half-time when their team led 3-2.
The first half was so eventful, with both teams making disastrous mistakes, that few could have predicted how the second half would unfold. In the end, it was a worst-case scenario for Newcastle.
Rafinha celebrates after scoring Barcelona’s seventh goal against Newcastle
Raphinha started the scoring, scored a goal, scored two more and won a penalty with some great individual play. But there were also some magical moments from Lamine Yamal that left Newcastle’s players scattered all over the pitch.
Lewis Hall showed a foreshadowing of what was to come when he sprawled on the floor trying to intercept Yamal’s pass in the build-up to the first goal. There was another gift for Barça’s second goal, as Kieran Trippier and Sandro Tonali lost Gerard Martin with a free-kick, allowing him to nod in Marc Bernal’s goal.
But Anthony Elanga equalized twice in the first half, sparking jubilant celebrations in the upper echelons of the away section as Newcastle battled evenly with the home side.
The winger was an unlikely hero, tripling the club’s goal tally. But those goals will be little more than a footnote.
The first half ended just like in the first leg, with a VAR check finding that Trippier desperately tugged on Rafinha’s arm, and Yamal converted a penalty in stoppage time to put Barça back in the lead.
Any hopes that Newcastle would fight back were completely evaporated. It was a humiliating and humiliating night for Newcastle, with three goals scored in the first 10 minutes of the second half, first from a corner kick and then from Lewandowski, who made a mistake after playing Yamal into space. Ramsey’s terrible pass to Rafinha for the winning goal was especially bad in a game full of individual mistakes.
Newcastle’s Champions League adventure has now been left in tatters by a team that should be serious title favorites. For Barça, it’s Atlético Madrid in the top eight.
For Newcastle, it’s Sunderland at St James’ Park on Sunday. This is a game that Howe and these players are not going to lose after this.
Sunday March 22nd 11am
Kickoff at 12pm
Howe: Conceding a goal from a set piece was unacceptable.
Newcastle manager Eddie Howe:
“Our defense today was not at the same level as against Chelsea a few days ago. I thought we were good in many aspects, just like we played in the first half, but we made too many individual mistakes.
“Knowing how good they are in other aspects of their play, we can’t afford two set-pieces.”
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Newcastle manager Eddie Howe disappointed after defeat
On penalties: “We’re heading into half-time and we should be heading into 2-2 in a great mood and anything is possible.
“If things continue as they are, I’m approaching the situation with a negative mindset. Isn’t this an obvious mistake?”
On bouncing back against Sunderland: “It’s important to make sure we’re mentally and physically ready for a big game for ourselves and the whole city. It’s a good game to get straight into because you don’t have time to think about anything else.”
The story of the game in terms of statistics…
When is the knockout stage?
Quarterfinals: April 7-8, 14-15 Semi-finals: April 28-29, May 5-6 Final: May 30 (Puskas Arena, Budapest, Hungary)
