A Marcus Rashford brace helped Barcelona win their first match in UEFA Champions League this season against Newcastle United. The Catalans won the Newcastle vs Barcelona match 2-1 on Thursday, September 18, at St. James’ Park to make a very good start to their European campaign.
Rashford is currently on loan to Barcelona and has shown Manchester United what they were missing. United have won only one of their first four matches in the Premier League this season and Ruben Amorim is already under a lot of pressure.
A Marcus Rashford Brace Scored in Style
In the highly anticipated Newcastle vs Barcelona clash, Rashford scored his first goal of the night with a perfectly-placed header into the corner of the net. He then scored with a fine shot from outside the Newcastle penalty box to confirm Barcelona’s victory.
It was testimony to the finishing abilities Rashford has got. He will be 28 next month and has 144 goals in his senior club career. He has been one of Manchester United’s best players during the past decade or so in what has been largely a forgettable tenure for the club.
However, his form last season was nothing special and he was subsequently loaned to Aston Villa. Prior to that, he had fallen out of favour with Amorim, who did not think that he needed Rashford in his set-up.
However, as United’s recent matches suggested, they missed a genuine left-winger in Matheus Cunha’s absence in the last match. Even when Cunha played, he started as the centre-forward, leaving Mason Mount to play on the left.
In Cunha’s absence, Bruno Fernandes switched to the left flank from central midfield in United’s 0-3 defeat against Manchester City last weekend. The situation screamed for a genuine left-winger like Rashford.
However, the Englishman has now made a statement with his match-winning performance against a Premier League side. He has made his mark playing for a Barcelona team that is stacked with top-quality attacking players like Raphinha, Ferran Torres, Robert Lewandowski, Dani Olmo and Lamine Yamal.
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Rashford Should Continue To Perform Well
The English winger now has two goals and two assists in five matches for the Catalan giants. Barca are a team that is a genuine contender for both the La Liga and Champions League titles. In order to regularly feature in its starting XI, Rashford will have to continue to play well.
He certainly has the ability and should still have at least four-five years of top-flight football left in him. It might become imperative for him that Barcelona sign him permanently at the end of the season, because the road back to Manchester United’s starting XI might not be easy, especially if Amorim stays in charge of the team.
Rashford’s performances for Barcelona will also be important for him to book his place in the England squad for next year’s World Cup.
Rashford has played in 64 international matches for the Three Lions already and is one of the senior players in the national team. Hence, his good form for Barcelona might be of much importance for both his current club and country.
Main Photo
Credit: IMAGO / Every Second Media
Recording Date: 18.09.2025