"Against Benfica, there was little chance of an era-defining night; there was a job to do, three points on the line to take their European campaign by the scruff of the neck. Jose Mourinho arrived and instantly made the headlines. His relationship with former Newcastle manager Sir Bobby Robson was hot topic pre-match, but it was important that the match itself remained the focus. The crowd rose as one to roar the home side on to a straight-forward 3-0 win"
"It's massive, Gordon said. We've got a clear goal - we want to get into the knockout stages and the home games are going to be massive to achieve that goal. We were favourites going into the game, that can sometimes go the other way. Outside it might not look like as bad a game as Barca but it was to us."
Newcastle secured a 3-0 victory over Benfica at St James' Park, with Anthony Gordon opening the scoring and Harvey Barnes adding a brace as a substitute. The crowd's unified support helped the home side control the match and claim vital Champions League points. Jose Mourinho's presence generated pre-match attention, including talk of his connection to Sir Bobby Robson, but the team kept focus on the game. Players emphasized the importance of winning home fixtures to reach the knockout stages after previous Champions League campaigns that featured memorable nights but failed to deliver long-term progress. The result restored momentum at home.
Read at www.fourfourtwo.com
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