Rashford Nets Twice as Barcelona Beat Newcastle
Rashford Shines on Barcelona Debut, Nets Twice to Down Newcastle
Marcus Rashford marked a memorable return to England with a sensational performance for Barcelona, scoring twice in just nine minutes during the second half at St James’ Park. The 27-year-old’s goals, his first in the Champions League since 2021, were a bitter sight for Manchester United fans, whose team is missing out on European football this season amid a tough Premier League start.
Newcastle pulled one back late through Anthony Gordon, but it wasn’t enough to stop Barcelona from claiming victory in their Champions League group opener.
Rashford’s journey has been a rollercoaster. After falling out of favour at Manchester United under Ruben Amorim last season, he spent part of the campaign on loan at Aston Villa before moving to Barcelona for the full 2025-26 season. Once hailed as the future of English football after bursting onto the scene at United, Rashford has faced criticism over recent years for a perceived dip in focus and form.
But his lively display on Tyneside suggests a revival may be underway.
“It’s an amazing experience playing for Barcelona. I’ve always been a huge admirer of the club. We just want to win as much as possible,” Rashford said after the game. “I’m full of excitement, very motivated, and determined. The quality in this team excites me. It’s refreshing to play with these players—this is a new style of football for me, but I’m enjoying it and it’s making me a better player.”
Barcelona, off to a strong start in La Liga with three wins from four games, were missing Spain forward Lamine Yamal due to a groin injury. Rashford’s double ensured the team didn’t feel his absence.
“I’m happy for Marcus. We have a lot of good players, and he’s one of them,” coach Hansi Flick said. “These two goals will help Marcus take the next step. Confidence is key, and these strikes are unbelievable for him moving forward.”
Barcelona, beaten by Inter Milan in last season’s Champions League semi-finals, haven’t reached the final since lifting the trophy in 2015. But with this dominant performance, the five-time European champions are signaling their intent to contend this season.
For Newcastle, the defeat was a blow to their hopes of a strong Champions League return after failing to advance from the group stage in 2023-24.
“It was a good performance, but these nights are only magical if you win,” Newcastle manager Eddie Howe admitted. “We had chances in the first half, but against teams like this, you don’t get many. We got punished.”
Nearly 28 years after Faustino Asprilla’s famous hat-trick against Barcelona at St James’ Park in September 1997, which remains one of Newcastle’s greatest European nights, Asprilla returned from Colombia to witness the clash. Yet it was Rashford who stole the show.
The breakthrough came in the 58th minute when Jules Kounde’s cross found Rashford, who outmuscled Fabian Schar to power a header past Nick Pope. Nine minutes later, Rashford doubled the lead with a stunning solo effort, weaving past Sandro Tonali before curling a shot into the top corner.
Newcastle’s late strike from Gordon in the 90th minute added drama, but Barcelona held on to secure a convincing victory.
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