Flick had challenged Rashford to make his mark back on English soil, and the striker responded in style with two second-half goals that sealed a 2-1 victory for the Catalan giants. His header in the 58th minute broke the deadlock, before a thunderous long-range strike nine minutes later doubled the lead. Despite Anthony Gordon’s late reply, the night belonged to the Manchester United Loanee.
The dazzling display didn’t just seal three points, it earned Rashford glowing praise from both his coach and team-mates, who hailed his match-winning quality and growing influence at Barcelona.
“The important thing is that he gains confidence, and scoring two goals in this stadium, in his home country, will help him. We’re helping him. But I’m not surprised. He’s an outstanding player, with great talent, as I said yesterday. His finishing is fantastic. We need a player like him,” Flick stated.
“Marcus is spectacular. He does the same thing in training. We’re very happy to have him with us, because he has a lot of quality and will help us a lot,” Araujo told reporters after the match.
Goalkeeper Joan Garcia added: “It was incredible. He’s already got us used to it in training. He has a very good shot, and I’m very happy for him because he’s working hard and well.”
The 27-year-old became only the second Englishman ever to score for Barcelona in European competition, following in the footsteps of Gary Lineker. It was also his sixth and seventh goals in 16 career appearances against Newcastle, underlining his status as a long-time nemesis for the Magpies. For Barca, his arrival is already paying dividends at the highest level.
With Lamine Yamal sidelined, Rashford is set to lead the line again this weekend when Barcelona face Getafe in La Liga. Still searching for his first domestic goal in Spain, the forward will hope to carry his European momentum into the league as Flick’s side aim to build consistency across competitions.
