Barcelona secured a 2-1 away victory over Newcastle United in their UEFA Champions League opener on Thursday, with Marcus Rashford netting twice to give the Spanish champions a winning start.
Rashford, who joined Barcelona on loan from Manchester United in July, scored his first goals for the club. He broke the deadlock just before the hour mark with a header from Jules Kounde’s cross, before doubling the lead midway through the second half with a powerful strike from distance.
Anthony Gordon pulled one back for Newcastle, but Xavi’s side held firm to collect all three points, bouncing back from last season’s semi-final exit.
At the Etihad Stadium, Manchester City marked their title defence with a 2-0 win against Napoli. Erling Haaland scored his 50th Champions League goal from a Phil Foden assist shortly after Napoli captain Giovanni Di Lorenzo was sent off for fouling the Norwegian. Jeremy Doku added a second, sealing City’s victory and leaving Napoli winless in 13 visits to England.
Pep Guardiola hailed Haaland’s milestone, placing him in the same breath as Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo. “The numbers speak for themselves. Alongside Messi and Ronaldo, Erling is a phenomenon,” Guardiola said.
Elsewhere, Eintracht Frankfurt thrashed Galatasaray 5-1, while Bayer Leverkusen were held to a 2-2 draw at FC Copenhagen. Club Brugge stunned Monaco 4-1 in Belgium, and Sporting Lisbon swept past Kairat Almaty with a 4-1 home win.
