Newcastle United suffered a heavy defeat in a post-season friendly against the A-League All Stars in Melbourne, with a scoreline of 8-0.
After their impressive victory over Spurs in a penalty shootout, manager Eddie Howe made significant changes to the team for this match. However, the youthful lineup he fielded was no match for the top players from the Australian and New Zealand leagues.
The All Stars took an early lead through Ben Old, and further goals from Nicolas Milanovic and Adam Taggart saw them go into half-time with a comfortable 3-0 lead.
The second half saw Apostolos Stamatelopoulos score twice, along with goals from Jake Hollman, Jordan Courtney-Perkins, and Bozhidar Kraev, adding to Newcastle’s woes.
Former Newcastle and England striker Alan Shearer had criticized the timing of the tour, calling it “madness.” Manager Eddie Howe acknowledged the tough challenge faced by his young players and emphasized the learning experience from the defeat.
With key players like Bruno Guimaraes and Miguel Almiron absent due to international commitments, England full-back Kieran Trippier was one of the few experienced players in the squad. Despite the result, young talents like Lewis Hall and Elliot Anderson gained valuable experience from the match.
As the brief tour to Australia concludes, Newcastle players will now prepare for upcoming international competitions, with the European Championship in Germany and the Copa America in the United States on the horizon.