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When the Benfica manager arrived at Newcastle's stadium and praised Newcastle's coach and his players, local supporters feared a tough game. However such worries vanished due to a strike from the winger and a brace from replacement the forward, making sure Benfica's new manager would not cause pain for Newcastle.

Game Flow and Early Action

The Benfica boss had predicted that the home side would be very physical, but his Benfica players showed their own aggressive style. Benfica clearly enjoyed breaking up Newcastle's initial efforts to build a fluent passing rhythm.

Adding to Newcastle's issues, two players, Sandro Tonali and Joelinton, started as substitutes as they continued convalescing from illness and injury respectively.

Prior to the start, the coaches exchanged a brief, cool greeting, and it soon became clear that Mourinho had instructed his side to subdue the home fans by slowing Newcastle and lowering the temperature whenever possible.

Key Moments and Decisive Actions

The visitors' strategy yielded mixed outcomes, but when Gordon and the Newcastle attack managed to dismantle Benfica's defensive barricades, they initially struggled to generate good opportunities.

Moreover, the Belgium winger Lukebakio nearly showed how to finish when, after beating Dan Burn behind, he tested Newcastle's keeper with a tremendous shot that got an excellent single-hand stop. It's no surprise the goalkeeper retains hope for an national team return in time for the World Cup.

But when the winger hit another attempt against the post, the home side woke up. Jacob Murphy shot off target, and Anatoliy Trubin made an excellent close-range stop from Bruno Guimaraes before Anthony Gordon finally broke the deadlock.

Gordon's scorching speed had created consternation for Mourinho all evening, and he calmly side-footed the first goal past the goalkeeper after Murphy's quick cross into the box paid off.

When the Magpies' hard, high press was not anticipated by the opposition, Murphy, chosen over £55m Anthony Elanga, was there to pass a ground cross across the goal for the winger to polish off.

Second Half and Match-Winning Substitutions

From the beginning, the Portuguese team could not be blamed of parking the bus and playing for a draw, but now Mourinho's players attacked with total abandon. Lukebakio repeatedly showed an skill to destabilize Newcastle's defense, and the home team were likely relieved to reset at half-time.

The opening period ended with the keeper once more rescuing his team by tipping the attacker's left-foot wide of the goal frame, and as the teams came out for the second half, the match seemed finely balanced.

If Anthony Gordon, evidently boosted by netting his fourth goal in three European appearances this season, played with the zeal of a winger aiming to shift the power balance in Newcastle's favor, Lukebakio had other ideas.

Mourinho's No 11 had already shown that, while Burn is a capable centre-back, he is not a born left-back, and Newcastle fans were in mouths every time he advanced.

The Newcastle manager might have felt easier had Lewis Miley, deputising for Sandro Tonali, not directed a corner above the bar from a good position. Rather, this absorbing contest continued to move from end to end, persuading Newcastle's coach to bring on the midfielder and Barnes in place of Jacob Ramsey and Murphy.

Mourinho, meanwhile, brought on an extra forward in Franjo Ivanovic. It would perhaps prove a risk that backfired.

Barnes Seals the Match

Until then, the away team, and in particular their Portugal defender Antonio Silva, had performed a fine job in limiting Woltemade's space and forcing the German centre-forward back. However, with defender Amar Dedic substituted, the defense was underpowered, and the path was open for Barnes to prove that Gordon is not Howe's only attacking winger.

The home side's two changes was already paying off by the time Pope dispatched a superb throw in the substitute's path. When Antonio Silva, on this occasion, misjudged the flight, the winger was away, accelerating into the area before maintaining impressive poise to fire a sublime strike past the keeper.

When Barnes rolled a low effort through poor the goalkeeper's legs after meeting Gordon's stellar pass, it was all over. Mourinho had cautioned that the Magpies have four very fast wide attackers, and a trio of strikes from two wide men had destroyed his hopes of earning the team's first European points of the campaign.