Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang chose the perfect moment to rediscover his lethal touch, scoring twice in the opening five minutes of the second half to condemn Newcastle United to their first Champions League defeat of the season and halt Eddie Howe’s side in their tracks.
Harvey Barnes had given Newcastle the lead after just six minutes, sweeping home after Marseille failed to clear a corner. It looked like being another of those nights where the Premier League side’s organisation and counter-attacking threat would carry them to a fourth successive European victory. Malick Thiaw even saw a header hooked off the line in the opening exchanges as Newcastle threatened to run away with the game.
Marseille, for all their possession, were wasteful before the interval. Aubameyang twice forced smart saves from Nick Pope and then fluffed two presentable chances from close range. Roberto De Zerbi’s side went in at half-time trailing and facing the prospect of a damaging home defeat.
Whatever was said in the Stade Vélodrome dressing room worked wonders. Twenty seconds after the restart, Pope wandered dangerously far from his line and Aubameyang punished the error instantly, nicking possession wide on the right and guiding a cool finish into the empty net. Four minutes later Timothy Weah’s low cross found the 35-year-old striker unmarked and Aubameyang crashed the ball into the roof of the net to complete a remarkable turnaround.
Newcastle, who had looked so assured in the first half, suddenly appeared rattled. Despite flashes on the break they could find no way back past a revitalised Marseille rearguard. The result leaves Howe’s team eighth in the 36-team league phase with nine points from five matches, while Marseille climb to 12th and keep their own knockout hopes firmly alive.
For Aubameyang, the brace was a timely reminder of the predatory instincts that once terrorised defences across Europe. For Newcastle, the unbeaten streak is over, and the margin for error in this unforgiving new format has just grown a little thinner.
