Following Newcastle United’s Champions League defeat to Borussia Dortmund, co-owner Mehrdad Ghodoussi praised Eddie Howe’s players.
The Magpies were defeated 2-0 in Germany, with a goal scored in each half. Niclas Fullkrug scored first, and Julian Brandt sealed the victory with a brilliant counter-attack.
Newcastle now needs a miracle to advance to the next round of the Champions League, while Manchester United faces an ominous trip to Paris.
Newcastle were defeated by a superior team on Tuesday night, with injuries catching up with them. In Germany, the team was depleted, with Lewis Hall starting his first Champions League game in place of Dan Burn.
He was replaced at halftime, however, due to an early booking.
Callum Wilson was also forced off at halftime due to hamstring tightness. Given his injury history, this is a major concern ahead of Saturday’s game against Bournemouth.
Newcastle put in a good effort against Dortmund, but lacked that killer instinct in front of goal, as was the case in the reverse fixture at St James’ Park.
Mehrdad Ghodoussi bemoans ‘fine margins’ as Newcastle lose against Dortmund
Following the loss, Toon co-owner Mehrdad Ghodoussi took to X (formerly known as Twitter) to comment on the performance.
He wrote: “Not the result we wanted, but the boys gave it their all. Fine margins were the difference. Thank you to all of you who travelled to support us. Safe travels back.”
Not the result we wanted, but the boys gave it their all. Fine margins were the difference.
Thank you to all of you who travelled to support us. Safe travels back. #HWTL #NUFC
— Mehrdad Ghodoussi (@ghodoussi) November 7, 2023
Newcastle not at the required level against Borussia Dortmund
On Tuesday night, Newcastle was simply defeated by a superior team. They fell behind to a sloppy goal and then failed to create enough chances to claw their way back into the game.
Joelinton had the best chance for the Magpies, but he headed wide after a beautiful cross from Tino Livramento. Newcastle’s big moment had arrived, but the Brazilian blew it.
Howe’s team put in a lot of effort, but Dortmund always looked comfortable. Newcastle were visibly exhausted, the intense schedule catching up with them.
As Ghodoussi says, they gave it their all, but it wasn’t to be. They must now concentrate on their recovery before turning their attention to Bournemouth on Saturday night.
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