Newcastle United’s hopes of reaching the Champions League knockout stages suffered a major blow as they fell to Borussia Dortmund in a crucial Group F clash.
Niclas Fullkrug gave Dortmund the lead in the first half, and Julian Brandt later sealed the 2-0 victory with a clinical counter-attacking finish, completing a double over the English side in the group.
Newcastle’s best opportunity came just after the break when Joelinton headed wide from Tino Livramento’s cross, missing a clear chance to get back into the game. Despite showing more promise in the second half, the injury-hit visitors struggled to match Dortmund’s dominance from the first period.
The game was briefly interrupted in the second half as fans from Dortmund’s “Yellow Wall” threw fake gold bars and other objects onto the pitch in protest against UEFA’s proposed Champions League reforms. One banner read: “You don’t care about the sport – all you care about is money.”
With the defeat, Newcastle’s path to the knockout stages becomes increasingly precarious, leaving the English side in urgent need of results in their remaining group matches.
