Newcastle ‘punished’ as Champions League ‘magic’ quashed by Barcelona – Howe
Newcastle United boss Eddie Howe says his side were “lacking the quality” but not the effort required to beat FC Barcelona in their Champions League opening fixture.
The Magpies were downed by the La Liga champions thanks to a Marcus Rashford brace on his return to England.
The on-loan Manchester United forward scored a precise 58th-minute header, nine minutes before a thunderous long-range effort put Barcelona two goals up at St James’ Park.
Anthony Gordon pulled one back for Newcastle in the 90th minute but Howe’s men were unable to find an equaliser in injury time.
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Howe believes that Newcastle “were really in the game” and it’s difficult to disagree with him. It was a solid display against an outstanding team but despite a “gutsy display”, the Magpies were “lacking the quality”.
The Newcastle head coach told TNT Sports: “Disappointing. We were really in the game. I never felt we were out of it. I’m disappointed we didn’t score the first goal. That was crucial. We had the chances to do it. It was a whole-hearted gutsy display but maybe lacking the quality to get us the win.
“We wanted to create a difficult environment with high octane football. I think it was there. We didn’t get the bounce of the ball off the presses.
“The chances were there in the first half. Against teams like this you won’t get many. We got punished.
“Of course we can do better for both [goals]. The first more than the second. Disappointed he was allowed the cross [for the first]. Disappointed with how the ball arrived to him for the second.
“It was a good performance, strong effort. These nights are only magical for us if we win. But we’ll learn and grow our game from nights like this.
“We kept going until the end. That’s what we pride ourselves on. They managed the extra time well – we were desperate for the ball but couldn’t get it off them.”
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Meanwhile, Newcastle’s scorer Gordon singled out Pedri and Frenkie de Jong and said he and his teammates “were knackered” after the full-time whistle.
“Really tough game. Top team,” he told TNT Sports.
“I felt we had the better moments but they kept possession. They made it really difficult for us to do our usual press and they controlled the game through that.
“They did very well at keeping the ball. Pedri and De Jong were fantastic.
“It’s a top level. Rashford scored two goals out of nowhere. It’s got to be the same for us and take the opportunities when they’re presented to us.
“That’s natural being human beings, 2-0 down to Barca feels like an uphill battle. We got the goal which is testament to our mentality. We were knackered.
“We can be proud of how we played. We gave it our best against one of the top teams in the planet. I didn’t think there was much in the game. We had the better moments but we need to put them away.”
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