Borussia Dortmund v Newcastle LIVE: Result and reaction as Magpies lose crunch Champions League clash
Borussia Dortmund 2-0 Newcastle: Magpies qualification hopes left in the balance after frustrating loss in Germany
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Niclas Fullkrug and Julian Brandt dealt Newcastle United’s Champions League hopes a potentially fatal blow as Borussia Dortmund completed the double over Eddie Howe’s injury-hit side.
Fullkrug’s first-half strike and Brandt’s effort 11 minutes from time secured a 2-0 Group F victory in front of a sell-out 81,365 crowd at Signal Iduna Park to go with their 1-0 success at St James’ Park two weeks ago.
But the outcome might have been very different had Joelinton not headed wide from point-blank range at 1-0 amid a concerted fightback by the Premier League side, who have now taken four points from as many games, three fewer than Dortmund.
Edin Terzic’s men will nevertheless feel they were good value for their win on a night when they bounced back from a nightmare 4-0 defeat by arch-rivals Bayern Munich on their own pitch in determined fashion, to the delight of their famous Yellow Wall.
Relive all the Champions League action below:
Dortmund vs Newcastle
The Signal Iduna Park is one of the great stadiums around Europe. The Yellow Wall is an imposing visual and the noise is always loud.
The teams make their way out onto the pitch with the Champions League anthem blazing through the speakers. This should be a cracker.
Kick off is up next...
Howe on facing Dortmund again
Eddie Howe said: “Looking back to the first game against Dortmund is a useful exercise but it’s not definitive because they may change the way they play and we may change the way we play.
“I think it was two evenly balanced teams going against each other - that game could have gone either way. Of course, we hit the woodwork a couple of times late on in the match.
“I think the players have a good idea of what to expect. They are a top team and they’ve got players who can hurt us so I think there’s full respect from us but, hopefully, we can get the fine margins on our side this time.”
Stripped of their spine, Newcastle face an uphill battle to rescue Champions League campaign
It is a big game, but then they all are now for Newcastle. By Christmas, they will have played Manchester City, Manchester United, Chelsea, AC Milan, Paris Saint-Germain and Borussia Dortmund twice each, and Liverpool, Arsenal, Tottenham, Aston Villa and Brighton once apiece. The definition of a major match can shift according to reason, to the quality of the opposition – despite the size of their fanbase and stadium, Newcastle may not have been underlined on the fixture list by the elite during their wilderness years – but the sight of the massive Signal Iduna Park is another reminder they are back in the big time now.
Whether they remain there in spring is still to be determined. Dortmund may have always been the biggest game of perhaps the biggest week thus far for Newcastle – a triple header of Manchester United, Arsenal and last season’s Bundesliga runners-up – but Eddie Howe’s side arrive in Germany having proved masters of brinkmanship. Short of players, but high on spirit, they are looking to complete a famous hat-trick.
In four days, they could have exited the Carabao Cup and been distanced from the Premier League’s top four; instead, they overcame United and Arsenal. Now for the side who inflicted their only defeat in their last 12 matches. Three points would put Newcastle on course for the knockout stages.
Stripped of their spine, Newcastle face an uphill battle to stay in Champions League
Newcastle take on Borussia Dortmund in Champions League group of death on Wednesday
Borussia Dortmund vs Newcastle
Dortmund had lost three games in a row at home to English clubs before drawing with City last season. The win against Chelsea was their first against Premier League visitors since a 3-0 defeat of Spurs in the 2015/16 Europa League.
Last season’s Bundesliga runners-up are in the Champions League group stage for the 18th time over and the eighth successive season.
All but two of their 10 most recent campaigns have extended into the knockout rounds.
Borussia Dortmund vs Newcastle
Newcastle’s last game against German opponents before the Dortmund loss was the first they had failed to win. It was a goalless draw at Eintracht Frankfurt in the 2006/07 Uefa Cup group stage.
The Magpies had scored three goals in each of their first four meetings against Bundesliga teams, winning three successive games 3-1 before that draw in Frankfurt.
This is Newcastle’s third Champions League group stage campaign and a first since 2002/03, when they finished second in the initial group stage but were eliminated after coming third in their section behind Barcelona and Inter in the second group stage.
Eddie Howe makes no apologies for Newcastle’s no-nonsense approach to winning
Newcastle boss Eddie Howe is making no apologies for his team’s no-nonsense approach to winning football matches.
The Magpies headed for Germany on Monday ahead of Tuesday night’s Champions League clash with European big guns Borussia Dortmund, having muscled their way past Premier League rivals Arsenal on Saturday evening to add another significant scalp to their season’s collection.
Gunners manager Mikel Arteta was incandescent in the wake of the 1-0 defeat at St James’ Park, which was secured by Anthony Gordon’s lone strike, but only after it survived – much to the Spaniard’s disgust – three separate VAR checks, although his mood was not improved by the manner in which the Magpies blunted his attack.
Eddie Howe makes no apologies for Newcastle’s no-nonsense approach to winning
Premier League rivals Arsenal left St James’ Park at the weekend fuming.
Eddie Howe on two years as Newcastle boss
“When we took over, the vision was very short-term and if we could stay in the Premier League.” said the Newcastle boss, when asked about his time as manager.
“We hadn’t won for some time so it was about getting that first win and building the confidence from there. Once it came, I think we steadily improved but to be at this point so soon after those moments is something we don’t take for granted.
“I think the whole feeling is that the club gives us immense satisfaction. The working environment, the players and culture we have at the training ground is very strong. The relationships are really strong through the spine of the club which I feel, for a successful football club, gives you the best opportunity.
“Most importantly, I think the relationship with our supporters, the players and us is really healthy and it’s in a good place. That combination is so strong for us at the moment.”
Borussia Dortmund vs Newcastle
Borussia Dortmund played four games against English opponents in the 2022/23 Champions League.
They lost 2-1 at Manchester City on before holding them to a 0-0 draw at home. The German side then beat Chelsea 1-0 in the round of 16 first leg, but bowed out after a 2-0 second-leg loss in London.
The goalless draw against City ended the German club’s eight-game losing streak against English clubs.
Their win at Newcastle was Dortmund’s second victory against Premier League opposition since a 2-1 victory at Tottenham in the 2015/16 Europa League, the other being against Chelsea last season.
Their record since the win at Spurs is was two draws and nine defeats.
Borussia Dortmund vs Newcastle
This is Newcastle’s first competitive visit to Germany since a goalless draw at Frankfurt in the 2006/07 Uefa Cup group stage.
The Magpies needed a stellar goalkeeping display from Shay Given to earn a draw that night and they could do with a similar performance from Nick Pope this evening to give them a chance at picking up three points.
How Anthony Gordon became central to Newcastle’s Champions League hopes
There may come a point on Tuesday when Eddie Howe decides he has to manage Callum Wilson’s minutes and a winger, who began 2023 on the bench for an Everton team in a downward spiral that seemed likely to take them into the Championship, will instead be repurposed as a centre-forward in the Champions League. In front of more than 80,000 people in Borussia Dortmund’s Signal Iduna Park, probably the biggest crowd of his life. Maybe with Newcastle United’s destiny at stake.
The chances are that Anthony Gordon will relish it. A theme of Newcastle’s star-studded fixture list is that Gordon has a refusal to be intimidated by big names or big games.
He harried Paris Saint-Germain, rousing the crowd at St James’ Park in the process. He was outstanding against Liverpool, even if his goal was overshadowed by Darwin Nunez’s late double. He flourished as an auxiliary centre-forward against Manchester United against Old Trafford. He scored Saturday’s winner against Arsenal, soon after Wilson went off and Gordon adopted his emergency role as a striker.
How Anthony Gordon became central to Newcastle’s Champions League hopes
Extra attacking options on a trip to Borussia Dortmund will be pivotal for Eddie Howe’s team
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