Harvey Barnes came off the bench to score twice as Newcastle United cruised to a 3–0 win over Jose Mourinho’s Benfica at St. James’ Park, deepening the Portuguese side’s Champions League woes.
Anthony Gordon opened the scoring in the 32nd minute, finishing from a low cross by Jacob Murphy, to net his third goal in three Champions League games this season.
Barnes was introduced just after the hour mark and made an immediate impact. He capitalised on a quick throw from Nick Pope, outpaced the defence, and fired low into the far corner. He then sealed the win with another calm right-footed strike from a Gordon assist seven minutes from time.
The victory marks Newcastle’s strong response to their opening defeat against Barcelona, with back-to-back wins following a 4–0 triumph over Union Saint-Gilloise. The Magpies now sit seventh in the Champions League standings, ahead of both Real Madrid and Barcelona.
Mourinho had recently referred to himself as a “little Magpie,” expressing admiration for his mentor Sir Bobby Robson, the legendary former Newcastle manager whose statue stands outside the stadium. Robson previously offered Mourinho an assistant role at Newcastle in 1999, though he opted to start his managerial career at Benfica instead.
Despite Benfica’s third consecutive defeat in the competition, they had bright moments, especially through Dodi Lukebakio, who troubled Newcastle’s defence, forced a strong save from Nick Pope, and struck the post with a curling effort.
However, Newcastle’s clinical finishing made the difference. They could have extended their lead earlier when Lewis Miley headed over from a corner.
While Eddie Howe’s side have found goals hard to come by in the Premier League—scoring just seven times in eight matches and sitting 14th—their European form has been much more impressive.
Upcoming Champions League fixtures against Athletic Bilbao, Marseille, Bayer Leverkusen, and PSV offer Newcastle a strong chance to secure a top-eight finish and automatic qualification to the last 16, before a tough final game away to defending champions Paris Saint-Germain.
