Hard-fought 3 points in the Champions League! Garcia saves the day in the first half, Rashford scores twice in the second half, Barça wins 2-1 against Newcastle.

At 3 AM Beijing time on September 19, in the opening round of the Champions League group stage, Newcastle faced Barça at home!

In the first half, Barça’s new goalkeeper Joan Garcia made vital saves to maintain a clean sheet, with Barça registering only one shot on target, the half ending 0-0; in the second half, Koundé assisted Rashford to open the scoring, then Rashford scored a spectacular goal to increase the lead, and Gordon pulled one back late, but it was insufficient.

In the end, Barça secured a narrow 2-1 away victory over Newcastle, earning a winning start in the Champions League!

Newcastle vs Barça,Eddie Howe deployed a 4-3-3 formation with Ilanga, Gordon, and Barnes forming the attacking trio; Guimarães, Tonali, and Joelinton comprised the midfield three; Trippier, Schär, Dan Burn, and Livramento made up the back four, with Pope in goal. The starting lineup’s total market value was €382 million.;Flick set up a 4-2-3-1 formation, Lewandowski leading the attack, supported by Fermin behind him, Rashford and Raphinha on the wings, Pedri and De Jong as the double pivot, Martín, Koubasi, Araujo, and Koundé forming the back four, with Joan Garcia as goalkeeper. The starting lineup’s total market value was €604 million..

The match had two distinct phases: in the first half, Newcastle dominated at home, putting Barça under pressure; without Joan Garcia’s multiple saves, Barça might have faced disaster by halftime. In the second half, Rashford stepped up, first heading in Koundé’s right-wing cross to score Barça’s opening goal, then unleashing a powerful long-range strike to double the lead. As Newcastle’s stamina waned, Barça’s midfield took full control, with passing maestros Pedri and De Jong dictating play, while Guimarães struggled defensively in the closing stages. In the final moments, Gordon scored to reduce the deficit, but it was too late. Ultimately, Barça managed a tough 2-1 away win over Newcastle, securing their first Champions League victory!

After the match, Joan Garcia and Rashford shared the highest rating on the field with 8.8 points each.

Throughout the game,Newcastle held only 36% possession, had 10 shots with 6 on target; Barça recorded 19 shots with 5 on target..