Nick Pope went up for a corner, Callum Wilson hit the crossbar with an effort off his shoulder and Anthony Gordon’s deflected shot looped over the Borussia Dortmund goalkeeper, Gregor Kobel, also striking the bar, and, frustratingly, narrowly failing to fall over the line on its way down. Newcastle United threw everything but the kitchen sink at Dortmund late on here, and the kitchen sink was missing only because it was overflowing with rainwater.
This was a filthy night on Tyneside, and a damaging one to Newcastle limbs and ambitions. They lost Alexander Isak and Jacob Murphy to injuries, respectively groin and shoulder. They failed to respond to Dortmund’s devastating counterattack, finished off elegantly by Felix Nmecha just before half-time. And so they allowed Dortmund back into Champions League group F contention and complicated their own hopes of progressing. Newcastle must now travel to Dortmund, then Paris Saint-Germain before hosting AC Milan.
They should have dried out by then. Initially, the precipitation was fine, almost regal, like a gentle sprinkler on a bowling green before it truly hosed down. Sliding tackles sent spray flying through the air, fighting the rain cascading down. It brought back memories of Ruud Gullit’s last game as Newcastle manager here in 1999, losing to Sunderland in the rain when he’d controversially put Alan Shearer and Duncan Ferguson on the bench.
As it was raining cats and dogs it was perhaps inevitable that a Felix should give Dortmund the lead. The Germans were hardworking, and tough mentally and physically, and so well organised. They were so determined to secure their first win in five attempts on English soil since Jürgen Klopp left them. They counterattacked through Donyell Malen down the right and Marco Reus down the left. A minute before the break, Nico Schlotterbeck showed the individual responsibility-taking in Edin Terzic’s side. The centre back timed his tackle on Gordon perfectly.
The Newcastle winger was trying to launch a counter, had reached the halfway line when Schlotterbeck dived in, targeting the ball, winning it and spiriting it away. He advanced a few yards before sending Reus forward. Schlotterbeck could have dropped back into his defensive position, resuming his sentry detail, but he again showed the responsibility-taking in the visiting team. He raced forward on the overlap, accepting Reus’s return, before checking on Nmecha’s run through the middle. He had moved too quickly for Joelinton and Sean Longstaff, moving into space on the edge of the area. As Schlotterbeck cut the ball back, Nmecha opened his body, let the ball run across him before side-footing it right-footed at pace past Pope.
Advertisement
It needed to be good to beat Pope, who was Newcastle’s best player. He made three remarkable saves before Nmecha’s strike. Terzic’s side had attacked and attacked from the start, driven on by the drums and songs from the Yellow Wall’s end. Pope was immediately called into action, saving from Malen, then again in an astonishing double save, parrying Malen’s shot with his right arm, then denying Niclas Füllkrug’s follow-up with his left hand. Gallowgate hardly had time to applaud the ’keeper in front of them as they were transfixed by events developing down the other end.
Isak, briefly a Dortmund player, accelerated through the middle, then sent Gordon in on the left. Now it was the Dortmund ’keeper, Kobel, impressing with his save from Gordon.
Isak’s race was run, and Wilson charged on. Newcastle have decent strength in depth but their resources will now be stretched, especially with Sandro Tonali facing a lengthy spell out of the game after his gambling offences. As he looked on until arriving in the second half, the rain never ceased, forming puddles on the dugout roof over him.
Newcastle, as relentless as the rain, broke again. Gordon juggled the ball through the middle to Miguel Almirón, who was very clearly, very cynically brought down by Marius Wolf. His expression of innocence failed to deceive the Portuguese referee Artur Dias.
Dortmund then lost their captain. Emre Can was determined to make a point to the English, feeling that he had never delivered fully with Liverpool where he came runner-up in the Champions League, Europa League and League Cup. He had to be helped off by two physios. Salih Ozcan was stripped and ready to replace Can. He insisted on coming back on, but he was lame, operating at half-pace. Terzic gestured to him to go down, stop the game, then come off. Eventually Can limped away. Ozcan came on and promptly brought down Bruno Guimarães.
Advertisement
Having lost their captain, Dortmund’s players simply focused on each taking even more responsibility and they took that deserved lead. Tonali came on, joining the soaked fray. He tried hard but Newcastle lacked that finishing touch. Newcastle kept charging towards the Gallowgate. Their captain, Jamaal Lascelles, tried to force a way through, leading by example. Then Matt Targett’s deft left foot curled a free kick across, Wilson rose, the ball hit his shoulder but Newcastle were thwarted by the bar.
On a significant sidenote, it was impossible to visit Newcastle yesterday and not travel to Ashington to pay respects to Sir Bobby Charlton’s birthplace. The rich seam of footballing brilliance came to the surface in this small (now former) mining town with three Footballers of the Year, the Charlton brothers joined by Jimmy Adamson, as well as the Newcastle legend Jackie Milburn, the fabled cousin of the Charltons’ mother, Cissie.
Yet a quick afternoon tour of Ashington provided little evidence of Sir Bobby’s early years. His old home on Beatrice Street bore no plaque in remembrance of the most famous occupiers. The tiny backyard where Cissie kicked the ball about with her sons had a car on it. The back lane where Sir Bobby used to play now discourages ball games. Their field of dreams was the green expanse of Hirst Park, 400 yards away, now also home to a series of signs detailing their careers and a fine statue of Jack. A solitary Manchester United scarf was left at Jack’s feet.
Newcastle are working hard to keep talent on Tyneside, and Longstaff is one such. They love their local heroes here. But they will need all their assorted international gathering of players to work hard to claim the Champions League points they need. They have the belief and work ethic. They just need that cutting edge they showed against PSG.
Howe: Isak has groin injury while Murphy could have dislocated shoulder
Alexander Isak and Jacob Murphy were both taken off injured and the midfielder Sandro Tonali is unlikely to play in the Champions League again this season with his ten-month gambling ban set to be imposed this week (Martin Hardy writes).
Advertisement
“Alex looks like a recurrence of the groin injury he had on international duty,” Eddie Howe said. “Jacob looks potentially like a dislocated shoulder so we are more worried about him. I’m absolutely devastated for Jacob, we’ll see how bad it is but he has been such a big player for us, playing in lots of positions.
“There is no update on Sandro but I thought he did well and played with real quality and energy.”
Newcastle (4-3-3): N Pope 8 — K Trippier 7, J Lascelles, F Schär 7, D Burn 6 (M Targett 70min, 5) — S Longstaff 5 (S Tonali 65, 6), B Guimarães 7, Joelinton 5 (J Murphy 65, 4, (J Willock 70, 5) — M Almirón 6, A Isak 5 (C Wilson 15, 6), A Gordon 7. Booked Guimarães.
Borussia Dortmund (4-2-3-1): G Kobel 7 — M Wolf 8, M Hummels 8, N Schlotterbeck 8, R Bensebaïni 7 — M Sabitzer 7, E Can 7 (S Özcan 43, 4), F Nmeche 7 (G Reyna 79)— M Reus 7 (K Adeyemi 63, 6), N Füllkrug 6 (S Haller 79), D Malen 7 (N Süle 78). Booked Wolf.
Referee A Dias (Por).
