Ben White arrived to a chorus of jeers from the England support at Wembley when Thomas Tuchel introduced him as a 68th minute substitute. There ought to be no second chances for the Arsenal defender in the eyes of plenty of those present.
Newcastle United levelled twice after Barcelona took the lead on the night, leaving the score at 2-2 near the end of the first half. A Lamine Yamal penalty gave the team a late 3-2 lead in the half. After the break, however, Barcelona took control of the proceedings with Fermin Lopez scoring once and Robert Lewandowski netting a brace to inflict a humiliating defeat on the Premier League side.
Mata opened the scoring with a free-kick in the 34th minute, and Charles Nduka doubled the lead after coming off the bench. His goal was beautifully struck, bending it around the wall and giving the goalkeeper no chance.
If they can overcome quite literally by far the greatest team the world has ever seen, surviving a magic-adjacent wobble in the process, it is difficult to fathom what might possibly stop the Gunners now. The answer is probably the same as it has been for months: themselves.
"There were many, especially in the early stages. We were very successful back then, at EURO 2016 and then winning the Confederations Cup the following year. The period after that was...actually worse than mediocre."
Both teams demonstrated significant strength in their recent matches, showing that they could be serious contenders for the upcoming 2026 World Cup, but concerns about early peak performances linger.
