Barcelona fans woke up this morning buoyed by a narrow but crucial 2-1 victory over Newcastle United at St James’ Park.
The win wasn’t easy—Newcastle pressed hard, particularly in the second half, but Barca’s composure under pressure saw them through.
Key moments came from Marcus Rashford who netted a brace and his first goals for Barca.
Defensively, Barcelona had to grind it out, with the backline holding steady under repeated attacks.
The three points mean they maintain their position at the top of the group, setting up a promising run of fixtures in Europe if momentum can be sustained.
But perhaps the biggest talking point from last night’s game is what that result means for Robert Lewandowski and his chase of Champions League history.
Robert Lewandowski was hoping he could move one step closer to equalling Lionel Messi’s record for scoring against the most different opponents.
Prior to last night, Messi had scored against 40 clubs in the Champions League, while Lewandowski remained on 38.
Failing to find the net against Newcastle means the Polish striker stays two opponents short of matching that all-time record.
Lewandowski now has a lengthy list of clubs he’s already beaten: nine goals against Benfica, seven versus Crvena Zvezda, six each against Real Madrid and Salzburg; five each against Ajax, Dinamo Zagreb, Olympiacos; four against Arsenal and even against his former side Barcelona.
He also has three goals apiece against AEK Athens, Chelsea, Dynamo Kyiv, Marseille, PSV Eindhoven, and Viktoria Plzen; and two goals each versus Shakhtar Donetsk, Zenit, Porto, Atletico Madrid, Anderlecht, Besiktas, Napoli, Lazio, Tottenham, Young Boys, Inter, Brest and Borussia Dortmund.
Add one-goal tallies against Malaga, Roma, Manchester City, Juventus, PSG, Lyon, Rostov, Antwerp, Villarreal and Bayern Munich.
The result raises a selection question going forward: will Hansi Flick keep faith with Lewandowski as a starter, especially now that the veteran forward has such a vital record in his sights? He’s proven again that even in tight, cagey matches, he delivers.
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