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When the Benfica manager came at Newcastle's stadium and complimented Eddie Howe and his squad, home supporters feared a tough match. However those worries disappeared thanks to a goal from the winger and a brace from replacement the forward, making sure the visitors' coach did not inflict any trouble for Newcastle.

Match Flow and Early Action

Mourinho had predicted that the home side would be extremely aggressive, but his own team displayed their own aggressive style. The visitors certainly delighted in breaking up the Magpies' initial attempts to establish a fluent attacking tempo.

Compounding Newcastle's issues, two players, Sandro Tonali and the Brazilian, started as substitutes as they continued recovering from illness and a knock respectively.

Prior to kick-off, the two managers shared a brief, cool greeting, and it quickly became clear that Mourinho had told his side to quiet the home fans by slowing Newcastle and reducing the intensity whenever possible.

Critical Moments and Decisive Actions

Benfica's tactic yielded varied results, but when Anthony Gordon and the Newcastle attack managed to dismantle the defensive barricades, they initially struggled to create clear opportunities.

Additionally, the Belgian winger Dodi Lukebakio almost showed how to finish when, after beating Dan Burn on the ground, he forced Nick Pope with a tremendous shot that got an excellent one-handed stop. No wonder the goalkeeper retains hope for an England return in time for the global tournament.

Yet when the winger hit another attempt off the woodwork, the home side woke up. Jacob Murphy shot wide, and Anatoliy Trubin made an impressive near-post save from Guimaraes before Gordon at last broke the deadlock.

The England winger's blazing pace had caused consternation for Mourinho all evening, and he neatly side-footed the opener past the goalkeeper after his teammate's quick cross into the area paid off.

When the Magpies' intense, pressing game was not second-guessed by the opposition, Jacob Murphy, chosen over the expensive signing, was available to pass a ground ball across the face of goal for the winger to finish.

Later Stages and Match-Winning Changes

Right from the start, the Portuguese team could not be blamed of parking the bus and playing for a draw, but now Mourinho's side pushed forward with real abandon. Lukebakio repeatedly showed an skill to unsettle Howe's defense, and the Magpies were probably grateful to reset at half-time.

The first half ended with the keeper again rescuing his team by diverting Lukebakio's left-foot wide of the goal frame, and as the sides came out for the next period, the match seemed finely poised.

If Gordon, clearly buoyed by netting his fourth strike in three Champions League appearances this campaign, played with the zeal of a wide player aiming to shift the balance in Newcastle's favor, Lukebakio had other plans.

Mourinho's winger had previously shown that, while Burn is a capable central defender, he is not a born full-back, and Newcastle hearts were nervous every time he moved forward.

Howe might have felt easier had Miley, filling in for Sandro Tonali, not headed a corner above the crossbar from a good spot. Instead, this absorbing contest continued to swing from end to end, persuading the manager to introduce the midfielder and Harvey Barnes in place of Jacob Ramsey and Murphy.

The Benfica boss, at the same time, brought on an extra forward in Franjo Ivanovic. This would perhaps prove a risk that backfired.

Barnes Wins the Game

Until then, the away team, and in particular their Portuguese back Antonio Silva, had performed a good job in restricting Nick Woltemade's room and forcing Newcastle's German centre-forward deep. However, with defender Amar Dedic substituted, the defense was weakened, and the way was open for Harvey Barnes to prove that Gordon is not the manager's only attacking wide player.

Newcastle's two changes was already paying off by the time the goalkeeper sent a superb throw in the substitute's path. When Antonio Silva, on this occasion, misread the bounce, the winger was away, accelerating into the penalty box before maintaining impressive composure to lash a sublime shot past the keeper.

After Barnes slid a shot through poor Trubin's feet after meeting Anthony Gordon's excellent through ball, it was finished. The Benfica manager had cautioned that Newcastle have several quick wide attackers, and three goals from a pair of wide men had destroyed his chances of securing the team's first European result of the season.