Barcelona media & players are all saying the same thing about Newcastle United & St James' Park
Newcastle United 1-2 Barcelona: Marcus Rashford scored twice before an Anthony Gordon consolation at St James’ Park.
Barcelona showed respect to Newcastle United following Thursday night’s 2-1 Champions League win at St James’ Park.
After Newcastle edged a goalless first half, Barcelona took the lead through Marcus Rashford’s first goal for the club. The Manchester United loanee headed the ball into the bottom left corner of the goal before doubling the visitors’ lead emphatically with a powerful strike from distance.
Anthony Gordon pulled back a goal on the stroke of 90 minutes but Barcelona were able to see out the win. Newcastle have now played Barcelona more than any other team in the Champions League - after winning their first ever meeting 3-2 back in 1997, they’ve now lost the last four.
But Barcelona were generally very complimentary to Eddie Howe, his side and the St James’ Park atmosphere after the match.
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Barcelona duo praise St James’ Park atmosphere
Barca manager Hansi Flick said: “It was a fantastic atmosphere. We saw how Newcastle were playing with high intensity. It's what we expected.
“Newcastle is doing a great job, they are a strong team, a tall team and every set piece was not easy to defend. We controlled the game and I’m really happy with our performance.”
Barcelona midfielder Frenkie de Jong told Dutch outlet Ziggo Sport: “I heard a lot from the players in the Dutch team who play in the English Premier League about the atmosphere in this stadium. It was fantastic when we entered the pitch, truly wonderful.
“They are real football fans, engaging with the moments of the game.
“We knew in advance that it would be a beautiful match, because [Newcastle] love high pressing And we, of course, always want to play and attack, and they don't bunch up either.”
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Barcelona match report highlights NUFC among ‘trickiest’ fixtures
Barcelona’s official English match report on its club website listed the trip to Newcastle as ‘one of the trickiest’ fixtures they have in the Champions League group phase.
Considering Newcastle were drawn as a pot four side and have limited previous Champions League experience, it highlights the growing reputation Howe’s side has among Europe’s top clubs.
Barcelona have also been drawn against Chelsea from the Premier League and Champions League holders Paris Saint-Germain, whom Newcastle beat 4-1 at St James’ Park in their previous Champions League campaign two years ago.
Barcelona’s match report read: “FC Barcelona have got their Champions League campaign off to the perfect start, taking three points from what, on paper, was one of the trickiest of their eight League Phase fixtures.
“Winning at Newcastle United is no easy feat, and this was no walk in St James Park for Barça. But they got the job done and will be flying back to Catalonia with very big smiles on their faces.
“In a grippingly intense and often very physical contest, Barça were made to suffer for long swathes of the game, and had never really found top gear before two fabulous goals from Marcus Rashford utterly changed the dynamic of the game.”
Leading Spanish outlet MARCA described Newcastle as a ‘tough’ and ‘terrifying’ opponent for Barcelona, stating: “The match started as expected, with a black and white burst of enthusiasm, cheered by 50,000 fans.”
“The pressure was terrifying, right up to Joan García's feet, and then they mounted lightning-fast counterattacks.”