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When the Benfica manager arrived at Newcastle's stadium and complimented Eddie Howe and his squad, home fans were concerned about a tough match. However those worries disappeared due to a strike from Anthony Gordon and a brace from substitute the forward, making sure the visitors' coach would not cause any trouble for Howe's team.

Match Flow and Early Exchanges

The Benfica boss had forecast that the home side would be very physical, but his Benfica players showed their own aggressive style. The visitors clearly enjoyed disrupting the Magpies' early attempts to establish a fluent passing tempo.

Compounding the home team's issues, two midfielders, Sandro Tonali and Joelinton, began as substitutes as they were recovering from sickness and injury each.

Before the start, the two managers shared a perfunctory, cool embrace, and it soon became apparent that the Benfica coach had told his side to subdue the home fans by delaying the game and lowering the temperature whenever possible.

Critical Moments and Decisive Actions

The visitors' tactic yielded varied results, but when Anthony Gordon and the Newcastle attack succeeded to dismantle Benfica's backline, they at first struggled to generate clear chances.

Moreover, the Belgian winger Lukebakio nearly demonstrated how to finish when, after leaving Dan Burn behind, he tested Newcastle's keeper with a tremendous shot that got an terrific one-handed save. It's no surprise the goalkeeper still hopes for an England recall in time for the World Cup.

But when Lukebakio directed a further shot against the post, Newcastle woke up. Jacob Murphy shot wide, and Benfica's keeper made an impressive close-range save from Guimaraes before Gordon at last opened the deadlock.

The England winger's blazing speed had caused problems for Mourinho all evening, and he neatly slotted the opener past Trubin after Murphy's quick cross into the area paid off.

On the occasion the Magpies' hard, high press was not second-guessed by Benfica, Murphy, preferred over the expensive signing, was available to pass a ground ball across the face of goal for Gordon to finish.

Second Half and Decisive Substitutions

From the beginning, the Portuguese team could not be blamed of parking the bus and seeking a point, but now their players attacked with real freedom. Lukebakio repeatedly showed an skill to unsettle Newcastle's back four, and the Magpies were likely relieved to regroup at half-time.

The first half concluded with the keeper once more saving his team by diverting Lukebakio's shot wide of the post, and as the teams emerged for the second half, the match seemed finely balanced.

While Gordon, evidently buoyed by scoring his fourth strike in three European appearances this season, played with the determination of a winger aiming to alter the power balance in Newcastle's direction, the Benfica attacker had other plans.

The manager's winger had already shown that, while Dan Burn is a capable centre-back, he is not a natural left-back, and home hearts were nervous every time Lukebakio moved forward.

Howe might have relaxed had Lewis Miley, filling in for Tonali, not headed a set-piece over the crossbar from a good position. Rather, this thrilling game continued to swing from end to end, prompting the coach to introduce Joelinton and Harvey Barnes in place of Jacob Ramsey and Murphy.

The Benfica boss, meanwhile, brought on an additional forward in Ivanovic. This would arguably prove a risk too far.

Barnes Seals the Match

Before that, the away team, and especially their Portuguese defender Antonio Silva, had done a good job in limiting Woltemade's room and pushing Newcastle's German striker deep. But now, with right-back Amar Dedic substituted, the backline was underpowered, and the way was clear for Barnes to prove that Gordon is not Howe's only goal-scoring winger.

The home side's double substitution was already paying off by the time the goalkeeper dispatched a superb long throw in Barnes's path. When Antonio Silva, on this occasion, misread the bounce, Barnes was away, accelerating into the area before maintaining commendable poise to lash a sublime shot past Trubin.

After Harvey Barnes slid a shot through poor Trubin's legs after meeting Gordon's stellar through ball, it was all over. The Benfica manager had cautioned that the Magpies have several very fast wide attackers, and a trio of strikes from two wingers had shattered his chances of securing Benfica's first Champions League points of the season.