Returning to the Champions League after 20 years of absence, Newcastle United began their journey in this tournament with two matches that brought positive results. They held AC Milan to a draw at San Siro before burying Paris Saint-Germain 4-1. It was thought that Eddie Howe and his team would continue to defeat Borussia Dortmund to monopolize the top spot in Group F, but something unexpected happened.
Newcastle United unexpectedly suffered defeat at home against Dortmund.
When the final whistle blew at St James’ Park, representatives from the Northeast of England began to feel the harshness of Europe’s most prestigious arena, something they do not often experience. . Newcastle lost at home to Borussia Dortmund with a minimum score of 1-0with a goal in the 45th minute from midfielder Felix Nmecha.
Not only losing 3 points, this defeat will significantly narrow the chances of Bruno Guimaraes and his teammates to continue to the next round. Newcastle United dropped to 3rd place on the rankings, allowing Borussia Dortmund to surpass them. More importantly, in the second leg, Eddie Howe and his team had to be guests in Germany and had a stormy trip to the “Park of the Princes” stadium.
It’s the Champions League, where every defeat has a price to pay. Under the pouring rain at St James’ Park, Newcastle United collapsed and tasted the bitterness after a dreamlike start. Eddie Howe and his team can justify this defeat by blaming luck, when the ball twice found the crossbar of goalkeeper Gregor Kobel, but the truth is, they were almost powerless against the incoming representative. from Bundesliga.
From a position of self-determination, defeat at home was like a bucket of cold water pouring on Newcastle United’s ambitions in the Champions League this season. After two decades of absence and strong investment from the Arab owners, surely “Magpies” fans want to go far, instead of returning to the Europa League or worse, ending the journey in the bottom position. bottom of the board.
Newcastle will face many difficulties on the upcoming journey.
Newcastle United’s nightmare has not stopped. In the next 10 days, Eddie Howe and his team will face Wolverhampton, Manchester United and Arsenal respectively in the context of losing key players such as Alexander Isak or Jacob Murphy due to injury, while Sandro Tonali is considered to end the season early due to a suspension. Suspended for 10 months due to illegal betting.
This is an extremely important period for coach Eddie Howe’s army. After an impressive period of play, the defeat against Borussia Dortmund could become the starting point for bad things to come. But if we’re lucky, it will be like a wake-up call for Newcastle United to look back and come back stronger in the near future.
Huy Truong | 14:18 October 26, 2023
