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As Jose Mourinho came at Newcastle's stadium and praised Newcastle's coach and his squad, home fans feared a difficult game. But those fears vanished thanks to a strike from Anthony Gordon and two more from substitute the forward, ensuring the visitors' coach did not inflict any trouble for Newcastle.

Game Flow and Early Exchanges

The Benfica boss had predicted that the home side would be extremely aggressive, but his Benfica players showed their own combative style. Benfica certainly delighted in breaking up the Magpies' early attempts to build a smooth attacking rhythm.

Compounding Newcastle's issues, two midfielders, Tonali and the Brazilian, started as substitutes as they continued recovering from illness and a knock respectively.

Before the start, the coaches shared a perfunctory, reserved embrace, and it soon became clear that the Benfica coach had instructed his side to quiet the crowd by delaying the game and reducing the intensity at every chance.

Key Moments and Decisive Actions

The visitors' tactic produced varied outcomes, but when Anthony Gordon and the Newcastle attack succeeded to break through the defensive barricades, they initially struggled to create good chances.

Moreover, the Belgium attacker Lukebakio nearly showed scoring skill when, after beating the defender on the ground, he tested Nick Pope with a tremendous strike that got an excellent single-hand save. No wonder the goalkeeper retains hope for an national team return in time for the global tournament.

But when Lukebakio directed another shot against the post, Newcastle roused themselves. Murphy fired wide, and Anatoliy Trubin made an impressive near-post stop from Guimaraes before Anthony Gordon at last broke the deadlock.

Gordon's scorching speed had caused problems for Mourinho all night, and he calmly slotted the first goal past Trubin after his teammate's early ball into the box proved effective.

On the occasion Newcastle's hard, high press was not second-guessed by the opposition, Murphy, chosen over the expensive signing, was there to deliver a low ball across the face of goal for Gordon to finish.

Second Half and Decisive Substitutions

From the beginning, Benfica could not be accused of defending deeply and seeking a point, but now their side pushed forward with real abandon. The winger repeatedly showed an skill to destabilize Howe's back four, and the Magpies were likely relieved to regroup at half-time.

The first half ended with Pope again saving his team by diverting Lukebakio's left-foot wide of the post, and as the sides came out for the next period, everything seemed evenly balanced.

If Gordon, clearly boosted by scoring his fourth strike in three European appearances this campaign, played with the determination of a wide player set to alter the balance in his team's favor, Lukebakio had other plans.

The manager's No 11 had already emphasized that, while Dan Burn is a capable central defender, he is not a born full-back, and Newcastle fans were in mouths every time he moved forward.

Howe might have relaxed had Lewis Miley, filling in for Tonali, not directed a set-piece above the crossbar from a well-placed position. Instead, this thrilling contest continued to move from one goal to the other, persuading the coach to introduce the midfielder and Barnes in place of Jacob Ramsey and Jacob Murphy.

The Benfica boss, at the same time, brought on an extra forward in Franjo Ivanovic. This would perhaps prove a risk that backfired.

Barnes Wins the Game

Until then, Benfica, and especially their Portugal defender Antonio Silva, had performed a good job in limiting Nick Woltemade's space and forcing Newcastle's German centre-forward deep. But now, with defender Dedic substituted, the defense was underpowered, and the path was open for Barnes to show that Anthony Gordon is not Howe's only attacking wide player.

Newcastle's two changes was already proving effective by the time Pope sent a superb throw in the substitute's path. When Silva, for once, misread the bounce, the winger was clear, sprinting into the area before keeping impressive composure to lash a superb strike past the keeper.

After Barnes slid a shot through poor the goalkeeper's legs after meeting Gordon's stellar pass, it was all over. Mourinho had cautioned that the Magpies have four quick wingers, and three goals from a pair of wide men had shattered his chances of securing the team's first European points of the season.