‘A painful experience‘ — Eddie Howe admits Newcastle collapse against Barcelona was tough | OneFootball

FC Barcelona were once again back to their ruthless best as they beat Newcastle United 7-2 in the second leg of the UEFA Champions League Round of 16 tie.

This must have been a happy night for the Blaugrana side and their fans, who are now set to face Atletico Madrid in the quarter-finals of the competition. However, it was a painful night for the English side, as their UCL journey came to an end.

As Mundo Deportivo has reported, the Magpies coach, Eddie Howe, talked to the press after the match and rued some aspects of his team’s performance. The Englishman believed his team’s performance in the second half was significantly below its expected level:

After a first half in which Newcastle had put Barcelona under pressure, Lamine Yamal’s goal just before halftime made it 3-2 and proved to be the turning point of the match. Newcastle coach Eddie Howe reflected on the mental blow it dealt to his side:

“Psychologically, it was tough. Right after the break, very similar to the end of the first-leg match. We would have gone into halftime with a great feeling. Everything was possible. Mentally, we didn’t recover. The second half was hard, a painful experience.”

The English coach recognized that it was difficult to play against this Barcelona side:

“It’s hard to play against Barcelona, but in the first half we controlled the game and had counterattacks; it was a good representation of how we play.”

Howe did highlight some positives, particularly in the first half:

The English team put up a good challenge against Barcelona, especially in the first leg and the first half of the second leg. But the Blaugranes ultimately got the job done in style, and Newcastle United will now have to turn their attentions to their domestic commitments.