FC Barcelona began their Champions League night in England with a match against Newcastle United FC that was tense until the very last minute. It was one of those matches you'd wish you hadn't missed, but just in case you did, this is what happened.
To start with, German coach Hansi Flick was without two key players in his squad: Alejandro Balde and Lamine Yamal. The latter arrived with a "groin injury" that only worsened after his participation with the Spanish National Team, something already seen with other players like Pedri and Gavi. In any case, Flick selected a starting lineup that included Marcus Rashford, surely, the star of the night.
During the first half of the match, the Blaugranas had several chances, but without the result they were looking for. The clearest opportunity was done by Raphinha's shot in the 35th minute that went off the side of the goal. Newcastle decided to bring out their best in an attempt to hurt the visitors, but it was in vain, as they failed to take advantages of the dangerous situations they created on FC Barcelona's playing field.
After the break, Newcastle had a clear chance, but they failed to control the ball. Almost 10 minutes later, they were followed by a goal from the star of the night, Marcus Rashford. The Englishman scored his first Champions League goal for Barcelona, assisted by Joules Koundé.
Ten minutes later, Rashford scored his second goal. In an astonishing move, he decided to hold and charge alone sending the ball into the back of the net. Newcastle didn't want to be left behind. The team pressed and threatened Barça, and just when the game seemed over, a goal from Anthony Gordon in the 90th minute put Barcelona on alert.
With seven minutes of added time remaining, the tension in the match continued to rise. Barça was doing everything they could to maintain control, and Newcastle was doing everything they could to score a second goal and take at least a point. At the end, the match ended 2-1 in favor of FC Barcelona, who, as they have been demonstrating this season, are giving their all on the field.
Hoping for more exciting nights like this and more goals, we look forward to the second match day of the Champions League, where Barça will face their Parisian rivals, Paris Saint-Germain, at Montjuïc on Wednesday, October 1st.