- On Thursday, Marcus Rashford scored a brace as FC Barcelona beat Newcastle United 2-1 in the UEFA Champions League
- Rashford, who has been hurt by his recent experiences at parent club Manchester United, is slowly getting to his best at Barcelona
On Thursday, Marcus Rashford scored a brace as FC Barcelona beat Newcastle United 2-1 in the UEFA Champions League. The 27-year-old opened the scoring in the 58th minute with a fine header before doubling the lead nine minutes later with a well taken strike from outside the box.
Rashford, who is on loan from Manchester United, impressed England head coach Thomas Tuchel who was watching the game from the stands. The forward was given a standing ovation by Barcelona fans when he was substituted and later received the man of the match award for his brilliant performance.
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Rashford, who has been hurt by his recent experiences at parent club Manchester United, is slowly getting to his best at Barcelona. The talented forward joined Barca during the 2025 summer transfer window and has eventually found the back of the net after a low start to his career in Spain.
Barcelona manager Hansi Flick was impressed by Rashford’s performance last night and wants him to get his confidence back.
“In the offense we have a lot of good players and he’s one. I’m happy to have him. He gives us more options to follow the match. It’s great to have him. These two goals will help a lot to get Marcus to the next step. It’s so important he has the confidence and feels OK. These goals are unbelievable for him for the next steps.” Flick is quoted by BBC Sport.
Ahead of the match, the German manager had challenged Rashford to prove himself on his return to England. Rashford started for Barcelona alongside the lethal Robert Lewandowski and Raphinha, but it was he who stole the spotlight after the match.
Of course, if Lamine Yamal had been fit Rashford would have not started the match. Yamal was ruled out of the game with a groin injury, offering the England international the perfect opportunity to show he’s still one of the best players in the world.
Rashford has featured in all of Barcelona’s four La Liga matches this season, starting two. He played from the off last weekend and set up a goal as the Catalans thumped Valencia 6-0. It remains to be seen if he’ll be included in the starting XI this weekend when Barca returns to La Liga action as Yamal is expected to have regained full fitness by then.
Eddie Howe Left Nick Woltemade On The Bench Against Barcelona
Eddie Howe left many surprised when he decided not to include Nick Woltemade in the starting XI against Barcelona. The German striker arrived in the summer from Bundesliga side Stuttgart for £65 million, and already kicked off his Newcastle career by scoring on his debut last weekend.
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However, Howe opted to use Anthony Gordon as his main striker against Barcelona on Thursday evening. The 24-year-old struggled to make an impact with Barca dominant throughout, but he gave the home fans hope in stoppage time by pulling a goal back at the start of the seven added minutes.
Despite the defeat, Newcastle fans appreciated their players at full-time for the performance against an experienced Barcelona team that is full of quality. The Magpies return to action this coming Sunday when they face Bournemouth in the English Premier League.
