German midfielder Felix Nmecha, of Nigerian descent, scored the only goal as Borussia Dortmund stunned Newcastle United 1-0 at St. James Park in the UEFA Champions League on Wednesday night.
The former Manchester City man got his first goal since joining Dortmund in the summer with a sublime right-footed finish from inside the box after he was teed up by compatriot Nico Schlotterbeck.
The crunch Group F encounter started with as much attacking intent from both teams as expected, as Dutch forward Donyell Malen should have put the Germans ahead inside the first two minutes, but his shot was well saved by Nick Pope.
Shortly after, English forward Anthony Gordon had his own chance at the other end, and just like Malen, he failed to make it count as his curling effort was saved by Swiss goalie Gregor Kobel in what was a frantic opening to the tie.
Pope was called into action again minutes later as his sharp double save denied Malen and German forward Niclas Fullkrug from close range. Gordon got another chance in the Dortmund area again, and like the first time, he was denied by Kobel.
With the game ending for halftime, the visitors took the lead, much to the dismay of the loud Magpies fans. After Gordon was stripped of the ball, Dortmund quickly countered, and Reus quickly played Schlotterbeck in on the left, who cut it back into the box for Nmecha to finish superbly with a one-time strike past Pope.
JAAA, JUNGS!!! ???????????? pic.twitter.com/uAGkEDX0cH
— Borussia Dortmund (@BVB) October 25, 2023
Eddie Howe’s men came out for the second half motivated, and Callum Wilson, who came on as a substitute in the first half for Alexander Isak, should have drawn his side level, but he failed to beat Kobel, who looked super motivated in the Dortmund goal.
The remainder of the half was filled with end-to-end action, but none of the teams came close to scoring until Newcastle hit the crossbar twice in the closing moments of the game.
First, Wilson’s header off a set piece from Matt Targett looked like it was heading for goal until it ricocheted off the woodwork in the 86th minute. With time ticking away, the Premier League side got a corner kick, which Dortmund failed to deal with properly. The ball landed for Gordon, whose shot deflected off Sebastien Haller and was creeping into the goal, but somehow it found the crossbar again before the away side cleared it.
The win saw Edin Terzic’s men leapfrog Newcastle into second with the head-to-head rule, despite both teams having four points and the latter boasting the better goal difference.
