The first half of the match was a little dull, but the game soon lived up to the pre-match hype as Rashford opened the scoring on 58 minutes with a well guided header in the far corner of the net, beyond the reach of Newcastle 'keeper Nick Pope. The man who is on loan from Manchester United popped up again nine minutes later, this time with a piledriver with his laces that kissed the crossbar on the way into the top corner; a simply brilliant strike in front of the of England manager, Thomas Tuchel who was observing in the stands.
Another England international, Anthony Gordon, pulled a goal back late on in the game for the Magpies, but in the end, Rashford's two goals were enough for Barcelona to take all three points back to Eastern Spain. St James' Park had high hopes for this game pre-kick off; an electric atmosphere and eye-catching tifos but by the end of the match, the ground was silenced, especially due to THAT Marcus Rashford strike.
Let's analyse four things we learnt about Barcelona in this contest:
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Rashford could be a difference maker in tight games this season
After netting his first Champions League goal(s) in nearly four years, Marcus Rashford had a night to remember up in the North-east of England. The 27-year-old made the switch to Barcelona in the summer, joining on loan from Manchester United after some alleged falling out with current United boss, Ruben Amorim. Rashford's United career was fizzling out, in a way, and after a successful six-month loan spell at Aston Villa last season, the player felt a move abroad was necessary rather than going back to Manchester United for the 25/26 season.. With the constant manager/player turnover in recent years at United, hit has affected the England international. The last time he hit double figures for goals in a season for United was in the 22/23 season, where he scored 30 in 56 appearances under Erik Ten Hag.
In regard to his Barcelona career so far, he's had a little bit of a slow start, registering just one assist in four La Liga appearances. However, tonight we saw what Marcus Rashford really can do when he's on form; two second half moments of magic put his side in the driving seat in this contest; this bodes well for his chances of being in the England 2026 World Cup squad.
The first goal was a delicate header into the far corner after a teasing cross from Jules Kounde, but the second was an instinctive hit from the edge of the area that flew into the top left-hand corner, they always look nice when they hit the crossbar on the way in, too. Rashford has always possessed great pace and sharp shooting when in the right positions, and these assets could be key if Barcelona want to win La Liga and go far in the UEFA Champions League this season, whether that's appearances off the bench, or starting on the left-hand side of a front three, like he did on Thursday night.
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Barcelona won the midfield battle on the night
Although the game was end-to-end in a sense, there was no doubt that Barcelona won the midfield battle overall. The Spanish side had 64% possession, completed more than double the passes that Newcastle did and attempted 316 passes in the oppositions half. This was down to the brilliance of Pedri and Frenkie de Jong, with Fermin Lopez the more advanced of a three-man midfield. Marcus Rashford inevitably took home the Player of the Match award, but Pedri was excellent all night long. The 22-year-old broke into Barcelona's first team in 20/21, making 52 appearances that season in all competitions at the age of just 17. Furthermore, he's already been capped by Spain 36 times and played both games in their recent matches against Bulgaria and Turkey.
What Pedri brings to the side is a calm, composed head on the ball; an individual who is always thinking one step ahead. Against Newcastle, he completed the most dribbles out of any player on the pitch, had the most tackles, was fouled the most and won the most amount of duels, while also completing 91% of attempted passes and not committing a single foul. Notobly, he passed the ball into the final third 14 times, which highlights the progressive nature of his game, he doesn't want to play safe passes backwards, he wants to progress his team up the pitch in transitions. Frenkie de Jong and Fermin Lopez both played well too, although they were both booked by the referee. In an area where Newcastle are so strong with captain Bruno Guimaraes, Sandro Tonali and Joelinton, it was Barcelona who won the midfield battle at St James'.
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Joan Garcia has settled in nicely after his summer move from Espanyol
Joan Garcia’s move to FC Barcelona has already started smoothly, and there are plenty of signs that he’s settling in well at the club. Barcelona triggered Garcia’s release clause from RCD Espanyol in the summer of the 2024-25 season, for a fee that was valued at just over €26million on a contract that secures his services until the summer of 2031. On the pitch, Garcia comes in off the back of an excellent season: playing every minute for Espanyol in La Liga in 24/25, making 146 saves (the most out of any goalkeeper in the league) and posting solid clean sheet numbers. The signs are the shot-stopper is adjusting to life well at Barcelona, with two clean sheets in four La Liga appearances. Barcelona had goalkeeping issues last season, with Szczesny being signed in January on an emergency loan after Marc Andre Ter Stegen's long term injury, but now, the club look more settled in the goalkeeping department.
On the night, Garcia commanded his area excellently, making two high claims and 16 recoveries. Furthermore, he made five saves and prevented 1.3xG, while completing 72% of attempted passes. A solid night for the Spaniard.
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Barcelona could be contenders to win the competition in 25/26
Barcelona currently sit as the fourth favourites with the bookmakers to win the competition, and after last nights resilient performance, the team will be confident that they can go far in the UEFA Champions League this season. With key players missing against Newcastle such as Gavi, Alejandro Balde and supreme young talent Lamine Yamal, some would argue this is the highest quality squad Barcelona have had since the great Lionel Messi left the club. Combined with the end of last season, Barcelona have only lost two out of their last 15 competitive matches which shows the positive run of form the side are on, and the philosophy manager Hansi Flick has implemented on his players during the last 18 months. Finally, when Lamine Yamal does return, if he can put up numbers like he did in 24/25 (18 goals and 21 assists in 55 appearances in all competitons) there is no reason why Barcelona cannot win what would be their third La Liga title in the last four seasons, and go far in the UEFA Champions League, a competition they last won in 2015.
