Rashford off the mark for Barecelona with brace in win over Newcastle

BRACE: Marcus Rashford got a brace for Barcelona in win over Newcastle. Picture:; Clive Mason/Getty Images

Uefa Champions League: Newcastle 1 (Gordon 90’) Barcelona 2 (Rashford 58’, 67’)

MARCUS Rashford took the latest step on the road to redemption with his first Champions League goals in almost four years to ensure a sobering return to Europe's top table for Newcastle.

Barcelona subtly employed effective rope-a-dope tactics, allowing Eddie Howe's exuberant but largely naive side to punch themselves out before Rashford took centre stage to provide watching England manager Thomas Tuchel with a timely reminder of his sublime finishing skills.

The on-loan Manchester United forward became the first Englishman to score for the Catalans in Europe since Gary Lineker 36 years ago to underline the strides Newcastle still have to make at this rarified level.

Fabian Schar, who was to be forced off with concussion, was still recovering from taking a Rashford shot flush in the face when the Swiss defender allowed the 27-year-old too much room to meet a Jules Kounde cross to send a powerful header past Nick Pope just before the hour.

Rashford's second was even better. Newcastle thought they had snuffed out the danger as the Barcelona forward was ushered across the face of their area, before unleashing a ferocious right-foot drive that found the net off the underside of the bar from 20 yards.

Two goals in nine minutes as the visitors stretched their scoring sequence to the last 41 games and it was game over.

The bubbling cauldron that had been St James' Park for most of the night was transformed into the territory of hearing a pin drop until Anthony Gordon atoned for a largely woeful display by poking home a 90th-minute cross from substitute Jacob Murphy.

Try as they might they simply couldn't get the ball off Barcelona as they chased shadows in the seven added minutes to see that justice was done because Newcastle deserved little from this contest.

They have another seven games to right the wrong of a largely toothless display but none of those opponents will have been overly worried about what they saw from the Magpies on this tame showing.

In a first-half that gradually petered out as the hosts' energy levels unsurprisingly waned given their sheer intensity of their efforts, Barca weathered the predictable early storm comfortably enough after a major early scare.

The Spaniards should have fallen behind inside the opening five minutes as Anthony Elanga sped down the right to put what should have been the first goal on a plate for the unmarked Gordon.

Inexplicably, the recalled winger, one of two changes for the hosts on his return from suspension, totally missed his kick six yards out with the net gaping to add further weight to the feeling that the stand-in forward should stick to his day job down the flank.

Elanga's searing pace was proving to be the hosts' main threat and midway through the first-half the Swede was sent haring down the flank by Kieran Trippier's astute pass to provide an inviting low cross to the far post where Harvey Barnes' sliding effort was well blocked by goalkeeper Joan Garcia.

One delicious dummy to send his marker Trippier out for a hot-dog aside, Rashford was for the first half a largely anonymous figure down the visitors' left.

Things would clearly get a lot better for him, but initially, he wasn't alone as Barca struggled to make any attacking headway before half-time. Raphinha summed up their travails, putting a promisingly-placed free-kick into the Gallowgate End after he had been upended outside the Newcastle area.

Howe's side continued to enjoy the upper hand into the second-half without ever threatening to carve out more than the occasional chance. Sandro Tonali's shot from outside the area was comfortably saved by Garcia.

It proved to be the hosts last threat of note until Gordon's late consolation provided momentary hope of an unlikely comeback on a night when Rashford showed them how it should be done in front of goal with two pieces of game-winning magic that will live long in the memory.

It provided further evidence to suggest that like the growing number of players who have flourished after leaving Old Trafford that perhaps it is Manchester United that are the problem, and not him.

******* Newcastle (4-3-3): Pope 5; Trippier 5 (Botman 76, 5), Schar 5 (Thiaw 62, 5), Burn 5, Livramento 5; Guimaraes 5, Tonali 5, Joelinton 4 (Willock 62, 5) ; Elanga 7 (Murphy 62, 6) Gordon 4, Barnes 5 (Woltemade 62, 6) . Booked: Joelinton, Burn.

Barcelona (4-2-3-1): Garcia 7; Kounde 8, Araujo 7, Cubarsi 6 (Christensen 69, 7 ), Martin 7 (Garcia 81, 6); de Jong 7, Pedri 6; Raphinha 6, Lopez 6 (Casado 90, 5), Rashford 9 (Olmo 82, 6); Lewandowski 6 (Torres 69, 6). Booked: Martin, Lopez, De Jong, Casado.

Referee: Glenn Nyberg