Samba Superman spearheads Newcastle United as Bayern Munich become the £69m idiots
Newcastle United turned on the afterburners in the second half to put Nottingham Forest to the sword.
Nobody puts Newcastle United on his back quite like Bruno Guimaraes. Born 5,900 miles away in Rio de Janeiro, do not dare suggest to anyone within the NE postcode that he cannot claim Geordie status.
When hope begins to fade, the Magpies often turn to their skipper to don his superhero cape. And with one swish of the right foot, Guimaraes springboarded what soon became a relatively comfortable victory. But how damp the spirits could have been. This was, at least in the opening 45 minutes, hardly the swashbuckling Newcastle side that thrashed the Belgian champions in midweek.
Anthony Gordon proved the brightest spark early on, although his influence soon waned. Toon fans expected the net to bulge on 10 minutes when Kieran Trippier floated an inviting ball into the area. However, Joelinton - hardly known for his aerial prowess despite his physicality - was denied by a brilliant Mats Selz save. The visiting keeper displayed cat-like reflexes that were absent during his stint at the Magpies.
From that point, Forest grew into the game. It was clear that Dan Burn - deputising at left-back once again - had been targeted. Much of the Tricky Trees’ joy came down that side through Morgan Gibbs-White and Nicolo Savona, with former academy product Elliot Anderson also showcasing why he featured heavily in the pre-match build-up.
Ryan Yates played up to his role as Premier League pantomime villain by clattering Guimaraes on the half-hour mark. A subdued home crowd came to life when their on-field warrior hit the deck.
This was as eventful as the first half got. Anthony Elanga found a lot of the ball but lacked the needed quality. His game today was akin to a Jack Russell Terrier; a lot of bark… but not enough bite. There is a lot to come from him. Newcastle appeared heading for another frustrating Sunday when Nick Woltemade smashed a six-yard chance straight at Murillo on 52 minutes. But the pressure was building - and the Forest dam was about to burst.
With the Magpies huffing and puffing but struggling to blow the Forest house down, they turned to their Samba superstar. Guimaraes won the ball in midfield, with a game of football ping-pong finding Dan Burn. He teed his skipper off from 25 yards and, in trademark Guimaraes fashion, curled a wonderstrike past the outstretched Matz Sels. At that point, the floodgates opened.
Forest were now under the cosh and should have been 2-0 down. Sandro Tonali’s corner resulted in another goalmouth scramble, with Woltemade’s improvised punt cannoning off the crossbar. His luck would soon change when Guimaraes was hacked down inside the area by none other than Anderson. With Gordon off the pitch, the onus was on the club-record arrival.
One sweet kiss of the stanchion later compounded Bayern Munich’s foolishness. Karl-Heinz Rumenigge - the club icon and board member - labelled Newcastle as idiots for signing Woltemade. NewcastleWorld can think of £69million reasons why those claims have backfired. Salty tears from the continent were the last thing on Toon fans’ minds when the net bulged. The toasting of three points had already begun.