Newcastle United’s winning run ends with 2-1 loss at Marseille
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox
Marseille's Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang celebrates scoring their second goal with teammates during their 2-1 win over Newcastle United.
PHOTO: REUTERS
Follow topic:
MARSEILLE – Newcastle United’s three-match Champions League winning streak was halted on Nov 25 as they lost 2-1 at Olympique Marseille after Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang scored twice for the home side.
Harvey Barnes gave the visitors a dream start in the Stade Velodrome when he broke the deadlock from close range after six minutes with his fourth goal in his last three matches in all competitions.
But the 36-year-old Aubameyang turned the scoreline around with two quick-fire goals shortly after the interval to give the French side their second win of the campaign.
“We didn’t start the match well. We could have done a lot better in the first 10 minutes,” Aubameyang told Canal+.
“Then we took control of the game. The coach told us to keep going, that there would be room for improvement. That proved to be true at the start of the second half.”
After three wins in a row without conceding a goal, Newcastle were looking for an unprecedented fourth successive victory in the Champions League.
Eddie Howe’s side got an early lead after Barnes scored when the ball fortuitously came back to him after a Sandro Tonali cross.
Despite a string of bad passes early on, Marseille eventually took control of the match. Aubameyang squandered a series of good chances in the first half, but made amends as momentum shifted after half-time.
The Gabonese striker equalised in the 46th minute after he skipped past goalkeeper Nick Pope, who had come way out of his box, before curling the ball in from a narrow angle outside the area.
The assist was provided by the 17-year-old French midfielder Darryl Bakola, who started his first professional match.
Four minutes later, Aubameyang struck again at the near post to convert Timothy Weah’s cross.
“The effort was good. The 15 minutes at the start of the second half cost us,” Howe told TNT Sports.
“The goal straight after half-time changes the feeling around the stadium. It was a lapse of concentration from us.”
Newcastle, who have nine points, travel to Bayer Leverkusen next, while Marseille, who have six points, visit Belgian side Union Saint-Gilloise.
Elsewhere, Napoli earned a 2-0 home victory over Qarabag, with a Scott McTominay header and an own goal by Marko Jankovic downing the resilient visitors from Azerbaijan.
It was a much-needed win for the hosts, who had won just one of their first four matches. Both sides are on seven points. REUTERS
