Raphinha and Robert Lewandowski both scored twice as Barcelona ran riot in the second half to defeat Newcastle United 7-2 on the night and 8-3 on aggregate in the Champions League last-16 second leg at the Camp Nou.
Eddie Howe, speaking to TNT Sports, said: 'A tough way to go out … really strange to try and sum that up … the first half we were excellent … albeit we didn’t defend the key moments well enough … a few individual errors … in the second half we were nowhere near as good as we were in the first … they deserved to go through.'
Newcastle had matched Barcelona in the first half but a penalty just before half-time proved pivotal. Barcelona scored quickly after the restart and Newcastle never recovered. Howe added: 'Psychologically [the penalty] was a tough one for the lads, right on half time … then they scored quite quickly after half time and psychologically we didn’t seem to recover.'
Barcelona's victory was built on a devastating second-half display, with Fermín López and Lamine Yamal also on target. Newcastle's brave high press was ultimately undone by individual errors and Barcelona's quality. The result means Barcelona progress to the quarter-finals, where they will face either Atletico Madrid or Tottenham Hotspur.
Despite the heavy defeat, Newcastle's fans remained behind the team, applauding them at the final whistle. The Magpies now turn their attention to a crucial Premier League match against Sunderland on Sunday.
