Nick Pope's Unlikely Assist Leads Newcastle to Victory

Newcastle, England - In an extraordinary display of quick thinking and precision, Newcastle goalkeeper Nick Pope earned an unusual assist in the Champions League, delivering a throw that travelled past the halfway line.

During the 70th minute of Newcastle's emphatic 3-0 victory over Benfica on Tuesday, England international Pope expertly turned a defensive moment into an attacking opportunity. After securing a cross, Pope noticed his teammate, substitute Harvey Barnes, available in space near the halfway line.

Pope promptly dashed to the edge of his penalty area and, with an impressive overarm lob, sent the ball deep into Benfica's territory, perfectly placing it in Barnes' path. Despite the efforts of Benfica defender Antonio Silva to intercept the ambitious pass, Pope's precision prevailed.

Barnes, capitalising on the opportunity, raced forward and calmly slotted a low shot into the corner, extending Newcastle's lead to 2-0 in the 70th minute. The goal saw Pope being swarmed by delighted teammates back in his penalty area, acknowledging his unexpected assist.

Newcastle manager Eddie Howe, chuckling, commented, "I'm not sure I can take too much credit for that. We are focusing on certain aspects of Nick's distribution—throwing is actually one of his strengths that we've been working on—but this particular setup wasn't quite what we planned."

"Of course, distribution is crucial in the modern game," Howe added. Anthony Gordon initially put Newcastle ahead against their Portuguese opponents, led by Jose Mourinho. Barnes then secured his second goal, cementing the triumph at St James' Park.

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