Newcastle United coach Eddie Howe opted to field a young side in a friendly match against the A-League All Stars in Melbourne. However, despite making changes from the team that beat Tottenham Hotspur earlier in the week, Newcastle was unable to keep up with their experienced opponents and suffered an 8-0 defeat.
The All Stars took an early lead through Ben Old and continued to dominate, with goals from Nicolas Milanovic and Adam Taggart extending their lead to 3-0 by half-time. Apostolos Stamatelopoulos scored twice in the second half, while Jake Hollman, Jordan Courtney-Perkins, and Bozhidar Kraev added to Newcastle’s misery with late goals.
Eddie Howe recognized the gap in experience between the two sides and explained that playing any of the first-team players was not feasible due to the risk of injuries and fatigue from traveling. Despite the disappointing result, Howe encouraged the young players to reflect on their performance and come back stronger.
With key players like Bruno Guimaraes and Miguel Almiron set to depart for international tournaments, Newcastle will now regroup and prepare for their upcoming European Championship match against Germany. The experience gained from facing tough opponents like the A-League All Stars will be valuable for the team as they look towards future challenges.
