Newcastle United’s Champions League journey came to an end after Barcelona demolished them 7-2 at the Nou Camp to win the tie 8-3 on aggregate.
The Magpies made a positive start to the fixture and went toe-to-toe with their Spanish opponents in the first half.
Barcelona struck twice, but they responded each time to level the scoreline. The La Liga side went ahead before the break and stepped things up in the second half.
Here are some of the major talking points from the game on Wednesday.
Awful defending
Barcelona’s attackers were devastating, but Newcastle defenders didn’t make things difficult for their opponents.
Lewis Hall made a costly slip to allow Raphinha to score the opener, while Dan Burn was furious with their poor marking at a set-piece for Marc Bernal’s second.
Malick Thiaw was at fault for Barca’s sixth, and Jacob Ramsey gifted Raphinha his second with a dangerous ball across his own box.
It was a chastening experience for the English team at the Nou Camp, but hopefully they will learn a lot from it.
Anthony Elanga the only bright spot
Anthony Elanga is the only player who can hold his head high coming out of this game.
The £55 million summer signing caused defenders problems with his pace and scored two brilliant goals in the first half.
Elanga struck his first from close range after getting on the end of Hall’s drilled cross to the back post.
He then finished off an excellent move again involving Hall just before the half-hour mark.
The Swedish international recorded one key pass, made an interception and a clearance.
Huge injury blow
Sandro Tonali didn’t complete the full 90 minutes after appearing to hurt his left thigh.
The Italian is now doubtful for Sunday’s massive game against Sunderland.
Tonali has been one of the most important players for Eddie Howe’s side this season, and his absence would be a big blow for them.
The 25-year-old has featured in 47 matches across all competitions this season, bagging three goals and seven assists.
Stats from Transfermarkt and Sofascore.
