Spanish media react to Anthony Gordon’s performance v Barcelona after ‘breakout’ prediction

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Spanish media have reacted to Anthony Gordon’s individual performance during Newcastle United’s opening Champions League game.

The Magpies suffered a 2-1 defeat against Barcelona as Marcus Rashford returned to England with a bang as he scored a brace for the Spanish outfit.

Gordon is someone who will be competing with Rashford for a place in Thomas Tuchel’s England squad, and he refused to be outdone by the Manchester United loanee.

Gordon opened his own account in the Champions League by giving Newcastle fans something to cheer about with his 90th-minute goal.

Anthony Gordon praised for ‘worthy’ performance against Barcelona

Spanish media outlet Mundo Deportivo branded Gordon’s performance as ‘worthy’ as they went on to summarise his overall game.

“Good ‘false 9’ moves and success in the 1-2.”

Despite Newcastle signing Nick Woltemade in the summer, it was Gordon who was given the chance to start upfront as he played in a false nine role for the Magpies.

But it was when Woltemade came on and Gordon shifted out to the left where he began having a bigger impact on the game, eventually getting on the scoresheet.

Gordon could actually have opened the scoring early in the first half with a golden opportunity inside the box, but he was unable to connect with the ball.

Despite that, he still had an impressive performance from an individual perspective as he looked to showcase what he can offer at this level.

Anthony Gordon proved Joe Cole’s Champions League prediction might become a reality

Ahead of the Champions League returning this week, Joe Cole gave predictions for the tournament, including who he believes will be the breakout star.

The former Chelsea and Liverpool midfielder chose Gordon as his pick, and the Newcastle forward wasted little time in proving that could be the case with a goal in his first European game this season.

Cole also believes that Newcastle are going to be the surprise package of the tournament, and they certainly showed glimpses of being able to live up to that prediction against Barcelona.