Newcastle United boss Eddie Howe says that his side “has a lack of quality” but not the effort required to beat FC Barcelona in the opening fixture of the Champions League.
The Magpie was defeated by the La Liga champion as Marcus Rashford Brace returned to England.
On loan Manchester United scored an accurate header of the 58th minute nine minutes before a thunderous long-range effort and nine minutes before Barcelona lifted two goals at St James Park.
Anthony Gordon pulled one back for Newcastle in the 90th minute, but the Howe man was unable to find an equalizer at the time of injury.
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Howe believes Newcastle is “really in the game,” and it’s hard to resist him. This was a solid display for an outstanding team, but despite the “brave display”, the magpies “didn’t have a quality shortage.”
The Newcastle head coach told TNT Sports: “It’s a shame. We were really in the game. We didn’t feel like we got out of it. We were disappointed that we didn’t score the first goal. That was important. We had a chance to do that.
“We wanted to create a difficult environment with high octane football, and I think it was there, we couldn’t get the ball bouncing off the press.
“There was a chance in the first half. You don’t get a lot for a team like this. We were punished.
“Of course we can do better for both (the goal). One or more than the second.
“It was a good performance and a strong effort. These nights are magical if we win. But we learn and grow the game from nights like this.
“We continued to the end. That’s what we’re proud of. They managed the extra time well. We tried so hard to get rid of the ball, but we couldn’t get rid of it.”
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Meanwhile, Newcastle scorer Gordon picked out Pedri and Frenkie de Jong, saying he and his teammates “touched” after a full-time mouth s.
“It’s a really tough game. The top team,” he told TNT Sports.
“We felt we had better moments, but they kept owning it, they made it really hard for us to do normal coverage and we controlled the game through it.
“They did very well to keep the ball up, and Pedri and DeJohn were great.
“It’s at the top level. Rashford scored two goals out of nowhere. It’s the same for us and we have to take the opportunity when they are presented to us.
“It’s natural to be human. It feels like a 2-0 downhill battle to Barca. We’ve got a goal that’s a testament to our mentality.
“We can be proud of how we played. We tried our best against one of the top teams on the planet. We didn’t think there was much to be done in the game.
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