Newcastle Beat Athletic Bilbao 2-0 as Burn and Joelinton Secure Champions League Win

Post by : Mina Rahman

Newcastle recorded a third straight victory in the Champions League after Dan Burn headed the opener and Joelinton added a second in a 2-0 success over Athletic Bilbao at St James' Park on Wednesday. Burn's early header set the tone and Joelinton sealed the result after the interval, taking Newcastle to a fifth consecutive home triumph across competitions.

The result followed a disappointing 3-1 defeat at West Ham on Sunday that left the club 13th in the Premier League and prompted internal reassessment. Despite domestic inconsistency, Eddie Howe's side have now claimed three wins from four group games in Europe, their sole reverse coming against Barcelona in the opening fixture.

Facing away matches in Marseille and at Bayer Leverkusen next, Newcastle sit sixth in their group but are well placed to secure a top-eight finish — a position the club sees as key to automatic progression to the knockout phase. Howe expressed hope that the continental momentum could carry over into the Premier League ahead of Sunday’s trip to Brentford.

Howe described the performance as an important response to the West Ham loss, acknowledging it fell short of their best yet underlining the value of the win. He also highlighted Burn's header as a standout moment, drawing comparison with the defender's decisive strike in last season's League Cup final.

Burn had signalled the team's intent before kickoff, insisting the squad would deliver against Bilbao. He delivered in the 11th minute, meeting Kieran Trippier's free-kick with a precise header that curled into the far corner from roughly 10 yards.

Bilbao posed sporadic threats, with Unai Gomez testing the near post and Adama Boiro hitting the woodwork with a long-range effort. Newcastle missed an opportunity to stretch their lead shortly before half-time when Nick Woltemade's header from a Harvey Barnes cross failed to find the target.

The Magpies suffered a blow when winger Anthony Gordon exited late in the first half due to a recurring hip problem. Nevertheless, Newcastle doubled their advantage on 49 minutes after Barnes created space on the left and delivered an accurate cross that allowed Joelinton to power a header past Unai Simon for his first goal in nine appearances.

The victory underscored Newcastle's growing assurance in European competition even as their Premier League form remains uneven, setting up pivotal fixtures in both tournaments in the weeks ahead.