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When Jose Mourinho came at St James' Park and complimented Eddie Howe and his squad, home fans feared a tough match. However such fears vanished thanks to a strike from the winger and a brace from replacement the forward, ensuring Benfica's coach did not inflict pain for Howe's team.

Game Flow and Early Exchanges

Mourinho had predicted that the home side would be very physical, but his Benfica players showed their own combative style. Benfica certainly delighted in breaking up the Magpies' early efforts to establish a fluent passing tempo.

Compounding Newcastle's issues, key midfielders, Tonali and Joelinton, started as substitutes as they continued recovering from sickness and injury respectively.

Prior to kick-off, the coaches shared a brief, cool greeting, and it quickly became apparent that the Benfica coach had told his side to subdue the home fans by delaying Newcastle and reducing the intensity whenever possible.

Key Events and Turning Points

The visitors' strategy produced mixed outcomes, but when Gordon and his teammates succeeded to break through Benfica's defensive barricades, they at first found it hard to generate good opportunities.

Additionally, the Belgium attacker Lukebakio almost demonstrated how to finish when, after leaving the defender behind, he forced Nick Pope with a tremendous strike that required an excellent single-hand save. No wonder Pope retains hope for an national team recall in time for the World Cup.

But when the winger directed another attempt off the post, Newcastle roused themselves. Jacob Murphy shot off target, and Benfica's keeper made an impressive near-post stop from Guimaraes before Anthony Gordon at last opened the scoreless tie.

Gordon's blazing speed had created problems for Mourinho all night, and he neatly side-footed the opener past Trubin after his teammate's quick cross into the area proved effective.

When the Magpies' intense, pressing game was not second-guessed by Benfica, Murphy, preferred over the expensive signing, was there to deliver a low cross across the goal for Gordon to polish off.

Second Half and Match-Winning Substitutions

From the beginning, the Portuguese team could not be blamed of defending deeply and playing for a draw, but now Mourinho's side pushed forward with total abandon. Lukebakio repeatedly showed an skill to unsettle Newcastle's back four, and the Magpies were probably grateful to regroup at half-time.

The first half concluded with the keeper again saving his side by diverting the attacker's shot around the goal frame, and as the sides came out for the second half, everything seemed finely poised.

While Anthony Gordon, clearly buoyed by scoring his fourth goal in three Champions League games this season, played with the zeal of a wide player set to alter the balance in his team's favor, Lukebakio had different ideas.

The manager's winger had already shown that, while Burn is a fine central defender, he is not a born left-back, and home fans were in mouths every time he moved forward.

Howe might have felt easier had Lewis Miley, deputising for Tonali, not headed a corner over the crossbar from a good position. Instead, this absorbing contest continued to swing from one goal to the other, persuading Newcastle's manager to bring on Joelinton and Barnes in place of Jacob Ramsey and Murphy.

The Benfica boss, at the same time, brought on an additional forward in Franjo Ivanovic. This would perhaps prove a risk too far.

Barnes Wins the Match

Until then, Benfica, and in particular their Portuguese back Antonio Silva, had done a good job in limiting Woltemade's space and forcing the German centre-forward back. But now, with defender Dedic off, the backline was weakened, and the path was clear for Harvey Barnes to show that Anthony Gordon is not Howe's only goal-scoring winger.

Newcastle's two changes was already paying off by the time the goalkeeper dispatched a superb long throw in the substitute's direction. When Silva, for once, misjudged the flight, Barnes was away, accelerating into the area before keeping impressive composure to fire a sublime strike past Trubin.

When Harvey Barnes slid a shot through unfortunate Trubin's feet after meeting Gordon's stellar pass, it was all over. The Benfica manager had cautioned that Newcastle have several very fast wide attackers, and three goals from two wide men had destroyed his hopes of earning the team's first Champions League result of the campaign.