By Olopade Sakiru
The floodlights of St James’ Park shone brightly on Wednesday night as Newcastle United returned to the UEFA Champions League, but the celebration was cut short by Marcus Rashford’s brilliance, with the England forward netting twice to hand Barcelona a narrow 2-1 win.
Newcastle began with fire and confidence, cheered on by a roaring home crowd. The Magpies created early chances through Anthony Gordon and Harvey Barnes, while Barcelona’s defence looked shaky under pressure. Yet, despite their dominance in the first half, the breakthrough never came.
The visitors grew stronger after the restart. In the 58th minute, Jules Koundé’s precise cross found Rashford, who rose highest to head past Nick Pope. Nine minutes later, Rashford delivered a moment of magic — a thunderous strike from outside the box that rattled the crossbar before nestling in the net, doubling Barcelona’s advantage.
St James’ Park refused to go quiet. In stoppage time, Jacob Murphy’s low cross set up Anthony Gordon to claw one back for Newcastle, sparking late drama. But Barcelona’s resilience saw them cling to all three points.
For Eddie Howe’s side, it was a night of lessons — brave performance, plenty of chances, but wasteful finishing proved costly at Europe’s top level. Meanwhile, new signing Rashford has already written his name into Barcelona’s Champions League story with a dazzling debut brace.
Barcelona now top their group with three points, while Newcastle will need a quick response in their next European outing.
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