Newcastle United 0-1 Borussia Dortmund: Felix Nmecha stars for the Germans as Magpies suffer ‘shock’ defeat after hammering PSG in their last game

English Premier League side Newcastle United has suffered a reality check in their UEFA Champions League fixture against German runners-up from last season, Borussia Dortmund, as the Magpies lost against the “Black Yellow” in a narrow 0-1 result. After a miraculous hammering of PSG in their last game, Newcastle got a taste of the European heavyweights after their loss.

Borussia defeats Newcastle

Borussia has been one of the top teams since last few seasons, as they have always been rewarded for their consistency. After an unfortunate loss at the business end of last season before being edged past by serial winners Bayern Munich in their last game, Borussia has been the talk of the tow, They were placed in the Group of Death in UEFA Champions League, which also includes French giants PSG, Newcastle united and Italian giants AC Milan. But, in one of the intense clashes in the group where none of the teams are bent upon giving free space to their opponents, the Germans seem to have got an edge past the dreamers from England, Newcastle United, who had remarkably achieved a return to the European top flight after a hiatus of twenty years. After Alan Shearer’s Newcastle, Eddie Howe and his brigade as given the Magpies a chance to dream after a spectacular last season, finishing above the ranks of English heavyweights like Manchester United and Liverpool. They even had their dream start to their European campaign after thrashing PSG 4-1 in their courtyard, as Champions League returned to St. James Park after two decades, but had received a harsh reality check last night after a loss to Borussia.

A strong line-up for both sides

With an intense clash on the cards, both the teams went with their strongest eleven, with Howe going with his favorable strikers in the form of Isak, Gordon and Almiron, coupled with the attacking finesse pf Joelinton. Their defensive set-up boasted some old guards in the form of Trippier, Schar, Burn and Lascelles. While for the German side, it was Marco Reus whose experience was set to be banked upon by the German support staff. Along with Reus, Malen and Fullkrug were also named in the starting eleven, where the scorer of the night, Felix Nmecha was also given a chance to showcase his mettle.

As the match started, it was figured that neither of these teams would go down without a fight. On the 10th minute, it was Newcastle custodian Nick Pope whose quick feet saved the home team’s blushes, as he thwarted a double attack within minutes, thus keeping the score line and reputation, both intact and in place. Although chances were coming galore, with Trippier sending Kobel flying towards the end of the goal, but those were kept out of danger by the custodians from both sides, thus poising for a lovely climax.

Felix Nmecha- the hero

At the fag end of the first half, when things were settling for an intense finish, Gordon had decided to dribble the ball down to the middle, which was block-tackled by Schlotterbeck, who in turn passed the ball to the seasoned veteran Reus. He pulled the ball back for Nmecha, who was stationed at the perfect spot thus slotting past Pope in to the right side of the net, thus leaving the Englishman bare chance to react as the ball went in, with the chances of Magpies looking very grim in the next half.

With chances getting squandered for Eddie Howe’s men, his illustrious brigade suffered the first loss in the European elite, thus leading Howe to become philosophical at the end of the game, as he was heard saying, “Tough game for us … first half we were off where we needed to be … tactically they were good, gave us a problem in central areas … second half we were a lot better … would the ball go in for us? … unfortunately it didn’t … we’re up against elite teams, you make half a mistake you get punished … Nick made some good saves … but we grew into the game … the woodwork denied us … but we have to look at ourselves, own the defeat, and now we’ve got to do it the hard way in the group … it’s going to be difficult, but we’re in the Champions League, nothing’s going to come easy … we have to dust ourselves down … next week we have to be ready … we didn’t deserve to lose.”