Newcastle United suffered a heavy 7-2 loss in the Champions League away at Barcelona on Wednesday night as they exited the competition
A dejected Dan Burn of Newcastle United during the UEFA Champions League 2025/26 Round of 16 Second Leg match between FC Barcelona and Newcastle United
Newcastle United exited the Champions League in demoralising fashion(Image: Getty)
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Newcastle United crashed out of the Champions League after a 7-2 defeat to Barcelona on Wednesday evening. The media in Spain have pulled no punches in their evaluation of Eddie Howe's side.
Having drawn 1-1 at St James' Park, the Magpies headed for the Camp Nou with hopes alive of qualifying for the quarter-finals. The first half of the second leg showed promise with two equalisers from Anthony Elanga making it 2-2 on the night, but Newcastle were soon overwhelmed.
Just before the break, Lamine Yamal converted a penalty to give his team the lead, and they never surrendered it. An onslaught in the second half saw the tie end 8-3 on aggregate, with the Catalan club progressing. Spanish media have produced a ruthless assessment of the Premier League club.
Marca
All six Premier League teams that qualified for the Champions League this season made it to the round of 16, but only Arsenal and Liverpool have made the quarter-finals.
Marca questioned the prowess of English top-flight sides on the back of Newcastle's defeat, writing: "Didn't they say the Premier League was something out of this world?
Newcastle United's English midfielder #03 Lewis Hall (L) and Barcelona's Uruguayan defender #04 Ronald Federico Araujo da Silva vie for a header during the UEFA Champions League last 16 second leg football match between FC Barcelona and Newcastle United
One outlet claims English teams' reputations are a myth(Image: Getty)
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"We've heard countless times in recent months that the Premier League is almost otherworldly, home to the undisputed best teams in the sport. But there's plenty of talent here, too. When Barca shifted into high gear in the second half, the Magpies just faded away.
"Barcelona upped the tempo and prevailed through quality and physicality. Another myth about English teams is that they are physically stronger than Spanish ones. That wasn't the impression Newcastle gave at the Camp Nou."
Mundo Deportivo
Newcastle's players were individually rated by Mundo Deportivo on the evening and the publication was particularly scathing of a handful of stars.
It reported that Dan Burn "shrunk" in the match and wrote: "After the break, the giant looked small." On Sandro Tonali, it was written: "He held the midfield, but ended up overwhelmed and injured."
Dan Burn of Newcastle United looks dejected after Fermin Lopez of FC Barcelona (not pictured) scores his team's fourth goal during the UEFA Champions League 2025/26 Round of 16 Second Leg match between FC Barcelona and Newcastle United
Burn was one of the players singled out(Image: Getty)
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Anthony Gordon didn't escape the reproval, with a report reading: "Gordon was missing. There were some nice touches in the first half, but more was expected."
Malick Thiaw was supposedly "swept away" and of the substitutes, the outlet claimed: "Jacob Murphy went unnoticed. He only touched the ball three times in half an hour. Poor performance."
AS
While some lambasted Newcastle for how they fared in the second half, AS highlighted the valiant effort Howe's side put up in the first 45 minutes. Though its reports do frame the loss as devastating.
Eddie Howe the head coach/manager of Newcastle United consoles Jacob Ramsey of Newcastle United at full time during the UEFA Champions League 2025/26 Round of 16 Second Leg match between FC Barcelona and Newcastle United
Howe's side were competitive in the first half(Image: Getty)
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AS wrote: "The first half was tightly contested, but the second half was a ruthless display. Newcastle came out as if Camp Nou were St James' and intimidated with their pressure. But this time the Blaugrana knew how to interpret the English team's high line.
"Barcelona came out in the second half in killer mode. Their dominance after the break was undeniable. In 20 minutes, from the 52nd to the 72nd, they massacred the English side.
"The onslaught at the start of the second half left Newcastle in a state of shock. The Magpies hadn't seen anything like it for many years and were just trying to minimise the damage."
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