Barcelona demolish Newcastle 7-2 to reach Champions League quarters

Barcelona stormed to a 7-2 victory over Newcastle on Wednesday to reach the Champions League quarter-finals, winning 8-3 on aggregate.

Robert Lewandowski and Raphinha struck twice each for the Catalan giants as Eddie Howe’s side crumbled under a scintillating attacking display from the hosts at Camp Nou.

Lamine Yamal, Marc Bernal and Fermin Lopez were also on target as Hansi Flick’s side ran riot and recorded a landslide last 16, second leg victory.

The five-time champions are dreaming of lifting the trophy again, 11 years after they last won it, and showcased the attacking firepower which could make their ambition a reality.

By contrast Newcastle were hoping to reach the quarter-finals for the first time in their history but the Premier League side departed bruised and battered.

“With the fans supporting us like that for 90 minutes it’s hard to beat us at home,” Raphinha told Movistar.

Barca led 3-2 at the break after a thrilling first half but after Lopez netted early in the second they romped to victory.

“The confidence that we got in the second half was good to see,” said Flick.

After Joan Laporta was reelected president at the weekend, spirits were high around the club and they came out flying.

They were outplayed in the 1-1 first-leg draw but pledged to improve back on home soil and claimed an early lead through Raphinha.

Teenage star Lamine Yamal turned brilliantly away from Malick Thiaw in midfield, leaving the German defender on the turf and released the Brazilian winger to score.

Barcelona are notoriously fragile defensively though and Newcastle quickly forced their way back into the game.

The Catalan giants were carved open with just a couple of passes between Lewis Hall and Harvey Barnes, and Anthony Elanga timed his run right to stay onside and sweep past Joan Garcia.

Three minutes later Barca were back in front with 18-year-old midfielder Bernal turning home from close range after Gerard Martin nodded down Raphinha’s diagonal free-kick.

Yamal was so often Barca’s hero on their run to the semi-finals last season but was guilty of a mistake which led to Newcastle’s second equaliser.

The teenager attempted a backheel in his own final third and gave the ball away, with Elanga profiting at the back post as he turned home Barnes’s cross.

Veteran Polish striker Lewandowski has had a tough season for Barca, looking shorn of confidence, and he spurned two fine chances for the hosts in the first half, with Yamal also blazing over from close range.

The Spain international made amends from the spot to give Barca the lead at half-time when veteran defender Trippier pulled back Raphinha. Ramsdale got his fingertips to Yamal’s penalty, low to his left, but could not claw it out.

 

Procession

Raphinha sent Lopez through on goal to bag the fourth early in the second half and it broke Toon spirits.

From that point on Newcastle gave up the ghost and Barcelona scored to their heart’s content.

“Scoring the fourth goal quickly after coming out (for the second half) — that helped us be calm in the game,” added Raphinha.

Lewandowski nodded home from a corner and celebrated joyously, taking off the mask he has been playing with due to an eye-socket fracture.

The goal was liberation for him and the next chance he got he put away too, producing a lethal finish after a superb Yamal assist.

“He’s very experienced player and in these matches he’s unbelievable, one of the best strikers in the box,” said Flick.

“I’m happy for him that he scored two goals today.”

Jacob Ramsey put Barcelona’s seventh on a plate for the swaggering hosts, with a poor pass which Raphinha intercepted and dispatched clinically.

Fans sent a Mexican wave around the stadium, celebrating the biggest win they have had at Camp Nou since it reopened.

“Our performance dropped (in the second half) that was quite clear,” said Howe.

“The two set plays (conceded), those are unforgiveable because you know how good they are in the other aspects of their play.”

Howe said his players were affected “psychologically” by conceding a penalty just before half-time and then by Fermin’s goal early after the break.

“When the game was effectively over we didn’t react well to that either, so it became a very difficult second half,” he added.