Newcastle thought about signing Felix Nmecha in the summer before spending £52million on Sandro Tonali. While the latter awaits a 10-month ban for illegal gambling, the former looks a sure thing as Dortmund’s replacement for Jude Bellingham.

The 23-year-old, raised in Manchester and once an England youth international, was the game’s best player and his goal proved the difference on a rainswept night that brought Eddie Howe and Newcastle back to earth with a bump and splash.

There is touch of Howe about Dortmund boss Edin Terzic – intelligent, calm and engaging. But the German did a job on his English counterpart here, and his use of Nmecha was the game-changer.

Formerly of Manchester City and now capped by Germany, the midfielder has been earmarked as Bellingham’s heir after arriving from Wolfsburg. Three years Bellingham’s senior but not, as one may expect, light years behind the Real Madrid star. There is an immediate likeness, too, an ability to ghost from midfield without trace, and that knack certainly haunted Newcastle.

His goal in the 45th minute was the perfect example, hiding in plain sight inside the penalty area as he waited for a cross from team-mate Nico Schlotterbeck. The finish was also Bellingham-esque, opening his body before sweeping home with the confidence of a far more seasoned pro.

Newcastle bought Tonali for nights like this. Since the start of last season, no other midfielder on the continent has played more minutes in the Champions League. That record will soon expire when the Italian is hit with his suspension this week. He was introduced midway through the second half but there was no romantic send-off. Like his team-mates, he soon ran into a yellow wall.

To think, there was a feature in the matchday programme detailing how to beat Dortmund, four pages of tactical analysis complete with words and diagrams. Perhaps the Bundesliga outfit used that as motivation. Without a goal and with just one point in the Group of Death beforehand, this has breathed life into their campaign.

Newcastle, meanwhile, must now travel to Dortmund on the back of a reality check that came just days after Kevin Keegan told Howe his team could win the Champions League. They have a bit to prove now, for this was way below their best.

For the second time in this competition there was tension on the streets of the city in the hours before kick-off. Last time, Paris Saint-Germain’s supporters showed more fight than their players ahead of a 4-1 loss. Dortmund’s fans marched on the stadium in equally combative mood – bottles and punches were thrown – but, by contrast to PSG, their team were up for the battle.

Those pre-match clashes were all a far cry from friendly exchanges earlier in the day, when Geordies joked that every bar stool in town was already taken by a German towel. But how everyone inside St James’ wished they had one of those amid a rainfall that caught the wind and seemed to swirl continuously around the stadium. There was an element of chaos to the climate, and so that was the case on the pitch.

This was no cagey group-stage affair, cage fighting more like. They traded blow after blow and shot after shot during an opening that passed in a blur. Great fun, too.

Dortmund’s Donyell Malen ran clear inside 90 seconds and Nick Pope saved with his feet. The contest wasn’t yet two minutes old when Newcastle blazed down the other end and Anthony Gordon’s curler was shovelled clear by Gregor Kobel.

Time for a breather? Not a chance. Pope was a spectator during Saturday’s 4-0 win over Crystal Palace. Here, he watched a tide of yellow jerseys wash into his penalty area at every opportunity. Without their goalkeeper, Newcastle would have gone under.

 On 10 minutes, his double save somehow kept the game goalless, first blocking with his right arm from Malen’s low blast before using his left to repel Niclas Fullkrug’s follow-up. Newcastle again retaliated and Gordon should have scored when freed by Alexander Isak but he shot into the chest of Kobel.

Dortmund, though, were the better team, and that was never part of the script imagined by those with PSG fresh in the memory. The home fans were the 12th man that night. They were left sodden and subdued as the visitors took control here. Their mood was not improved by the sight of Isak being forced off with a leg injury inside 15 minutes.

Howe shook his head and he was bewildered still further when Dortmund led, albeit deservedly, on the stroke of half-time. Centre-back Nico Schlotterbeck used his brawn to rob Gordon before setting off on an unlikely dash down the left-wing, swapping passes with Marco Reus before pulling back for Nmecha to steer first time into the bottom corner from 14 yards.

Shooting downhill towards the Gallowgate End in the second half – Newcastle needed that as a jump-start – they would have been level just before the hour if not for Kobel extending a leg and blocking Callum Wilson’s close-range prod. Those behind the goal, and in the dugout, were already up in celebration.

They were back on their feet when, with five minutes to play, Jamaal Lascelles skidded a shot through bodies in the goalmouth, only for it to crash into one final frame in the six-yard area. Wilson then clipped the crossbar with a header but an equaliser, in truth, would have been harsh on Dortmund, and especially Nmecha.

PLAYER RATINGS AND MACH FACTS

Newcastle (4-3-3): Pope 7.5; Trippier 6.5, Lascelles 6, Schar 6.5, Burn 6; Longstaff 6 (Tonali 65, 6), Guimaraes 6, Joelinton 6 (Murphy 65, 6) ; Almiron 6.5, Isak 6 (Wilson 15, 6), Gordon 7

Subs: Dubravka, Karius, Dummett, Tonali, Targett, Hall, Livramento, Murphy, Willock

Scorers:

Bookings:

Manager: Eddie Howe 6

Dortmund (4-3-3) Kobel 7.5; Wolf 7, Schlotterbeck 8, Hummels 7, Bensebaini 6.5; Sabitzer 6.5, Emre Can 6 (Ozcan 42, 6.5), Nmecha 8.5; Reus 7 (Adeymi 63), Fullkrug 6.5, Malen 7.5

Subs: Meyer, Lotka, Reyna, Haller, Moukoko, Sule, Blank, Bynoe-Gittens

Scorers: Nmecha 45

Bookings: Wolf

Manager: Edin Terzic 8

Att: 52,024

Ref: A Dias 7

MOM: Nmecha

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Post source: Daily mail

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