Newcastle United forward Anthony Gordon heaped praises on Marcus Rashford, following his heroics for Barcelona in their UCL clash on Thursday night.
The English forward, who is on loan at Barcelona, delivered a masterclass performance on his return to England, to give his new side the win.
Rashford joined the Spanish champions on a season-long loan deal in the summer from Manchester United, after falling out of favor with manager Ruben Amorim.
Despite showing initial promise after Amorim’s arrival at the Red Devils, he eventually faded and spent the second half of last season on loan at Aston Villa.
Most of the prematch talks ahead of the clash at the St James’ Park centered around the England forward, who was tasked with stepping up in the absence of teenage sensation Lamine Yamal.
The 27-year-old proved to be the man for the big stages once again, delivering a two-goal performance in the 2-1 victory.
Following a goalless first half, Rashford opened the scoring with a superb header in the 58th minute, getting on the end of a cross from Jules Kounde.
His second was the pick of the bunch, striking the ball with much power from outside the area past Nick Pope in the Newcastle goal.
The home side pulled one back in the late stages of the match, when Anthony Gordon latched on to a cross from Jacob Murphy and finished by Joan Garcia.
The match ended 2-1 in favor of Barcelona, who begin their campaign with a win, while Newcastle will need to regroup ahead of their second match.
Gordon hails Marcus Rashford
Speaking after the match, Anthony Gordon praised his countryman’s performance and resilience, after enduring a difficult time in his career.
“He’s had a tough time for the past year or so. I’m really happy for him. I know as a footballer you can go through difficult times and it can feel really lonely”, the Newcastle winger said.
“He’s worked very hard, he seemed very happy the last time I was on England camp with him. He’s a good lad. A very nice guy, very shy and he’s a top, top player.
“On his day, he’s among the best players in the world, he scored two amazing goals.”
