Newcastle United 1-2 Barcelona

Marcus Rashford's latest stop on the road to redemption has led him to Barcelona and one of the elite stages in the global game. The 27-year-old England forward who lost his way at Manchester United and was brutally exiled by head coach Ruben Amorim may have finally landed on his feet on loan at Barcelona, under the expert guidance of head coach Hansi Flick.

Many observers felt Rashford was fortunate to be afforded such a platform following an earlier loan spell at Aston Villa that was hardly stellar, and which was ended prematurely by a hamstring injury. He will be as aware as anyone that if he falls short at Barcelona, he is unlikely to get another shot at a club of this stature.

And yet, in the space of nine stunning minutes of Barcelona's opening Champions League meeting with Newcastle at St James' Park, Rashford delivered a reminder of the thrilling talent he used to be - and still has time to be again.

To make Rashford's night even better, it was all done in front of watching England head coach Thomas Tuchel, who retains enough faith to keep including the forward in his squad despite the fact he has become something of a wandering star.

Rashford had hinted at what was to come in fleeting first-half moments, especially when an extravagant dummy left Kieran Trippier trailing in his wake, only to spoil his good work with a poor finish.

It all changed on 58 minutes when he opened up what had been a tight encounter, getting on the end of Jules Kounde's right-wing cross to plant a firm header beyond Newcastle keeper Nick Pope's right hand.

This was Rashford's first Champions League goal in almost four years and his first for Barcelona. What followed nine minutes later was arguably the finest moment he has produced in recent memory. He collected possession 20 yards out before, in the blink of an eye, flashing a stunning finish past Pope, the strike made even more spectacular because it kissed the bar before hitting the back of the net. Newcastle's keeper barely saw it, let alone had a chance to do something about it.

Rashford turned away to accept the acclaim of Barcelona's fans perched high in the Leazes End, the previous taunts of Newcastle's supporters silenced. The cameras cut to Tuchel, who was not moving a facial muscle but who must have surely been smiling inside at two such significant contributions.

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