Marseille 2-1 Newcastle: Dan Burn says Magpies bruised by ’10 minutes of madness’

Fans of Newcastle United must have believed those times were behind them.

Throughout the years, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang had been a persistent nuisance during his prior tenure at Arsenal from 2018-22.

However, Newcastle head coach Eddie Howe had cautioned that the 36-year-old «appeared to be in great shape» ahead of Tuesday night’s Champions League clash in Marseille.

Sure enough, Aubameyang troubled Newcastle once again on the grandest stage, with his quick brace shifting the momentum at the Stade Velodrome as the French team secured a 2-1 comeback victory.

It was a recurring narrative for Howe’s side as the troubles of the visitors on away grounds persisted.

Similar to their latest away matches against Brentford and West Ham, Newcastle initially took the lead. Just like at the Gtech Community Stadium and the London Stadium, they ultimately squandered it.

Defender Dan Burn referred to it as «10 minutes of insanity,» and while Howe held on to «positive indications,» this was yet another agonizing loss.

«It leaves us feeling a bit battered at this moment, but we will rebound,» the exasperated manager stated. «We have some exciting matches ahead.»

«This competition was never intended to be easy for us. It was never going to be smooth sailing.»

«It’s the premier competition because you’ll be challenged and tested, and it will prepare us to become a better team through these experiences.»

However, it could have turned out quite differently after Newcastle initially managed to navigate the electric atmosphere quite well by seizing control.

The noise was certainly overwhelming before the match – even referee Maurizio Mariani and the officials received loud boos when they arrived for the warm-up.

Flares were lit, confetti swirled in the air, and a magnificent tifo emerged from the stands with a corresponding banner stating «For my town, for my club».

But Newcastle was prepared for it.

They arrived early, trained at the Velodrome on Monday evening, and aimed to prep slightly differently on match day, «to keep the players mentally focused and prepared for this game» in Howe’s own words.

That preparation seemed to bear fruit against a team ranked second in Ligue 1.

Instead of being intimidated by the crowd, Newcastle made an assertive start.

They were rewarded when Harvey Barnes – coming off his match-winning brace against Manchester City on Sunday – propelled his side ahead in the sixth minute.

Yet, crucially, Newcastle failed to capitalize on their lead and Marseille fought back.

The visitors received ample warnings after Aubameyang missed several chances in the first half.

However, the well-traveled Marseille forward was less forgiving after the break, as Newcastle bore the consequences of a careless kick-off.

Defender Fabian Schar booted the ball forward, but his side was unable to regain control after losing several duels deep in the opposing half.

It was far too straightforward for Timothy Weah to bypass multiple players with a pass to Darryl Bakola, who then sent a through-ball into the right channel behind Newcastle’s defense.

A Marseille equalizer was not an obvious certainty given how far Aubameyang was from the target.

However, goalkeeper Nick Pope rushed off his line in an attempt to reach the ball ahead of Aubameyang, only to find himself caught out of position as the forward finished brilliantly from a tight angle on the right wing.

Howe was eager to emphasize that he «supported» Pope after the match, despite the poor judgment, noting how the goalkeeper made «some excellent saves against Manchester City just three days earlier».

However, this was a night when the team’s weaknesses at the back, and on away grounds, surfaced once more.

Newcastle’s defending for Marseille’s crucial second goal just four minutes later left much to be desired.

Weah outpaced Tino Livramento on the right and located Aubameyang, who got ahead of Schar to finish accurately at the near post.

Even though there was still ample time left for Newcastle to re-enter the contest, regrettably, they never genuinely threatened to equalize.

«Ten, fifteen minutes of chaos at the start of the second half has cost us,» Burn told TNT Sports.

«It’s certainly disheartening to visit a team like this, in a stadium like this, with an atmosphere like this and not come away with anything after putting in that effort.»

This has become a recurring theme.

Newcastle has won all of their last six matches at St James’ Park across all competitions, yet they have only emerged victorious once on their travels in the past seven months. That came with a 4-0 triumph at Union St Gilloise on October 1 – one of three in the Champions League that has left them in eighth in the table.

And they will need to recover swiftly for another substantial challenge on the road against Everton on Saturday if they hope to climb from 14th place in the Premier League.

«This is a challenging one to accept,» added Howe. «But the guys are resilient, they’re seasoned, and we’re prepared to persevere.»