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Season 2025-26
Espanyol (Spain) (h) Friendly

 


Date:
Friday 8th August 2025, 7.30pm
Live on NUFC TV

Venue: St.James' Park

Conditions: Even

Admission:
£20 & £25 adults (no weekend ticket)
 
Programme: £3.50 (double issue with Atletico Madrid)


Newcastle

 

Espanyol

 

2 - 2


 

Teams

Goals

17 mins Exposito shot 0-1

21 mins Matt Targett header Gallowgate End, followed by a revival of the "ball up the shirt / thumb sucking" combination celebration. As one social media wag noted, his bairn is now aged eight... 1-1

(37 mins Paudo penalty saved by Ramsdale)

Half time: Newcastle 1 Espanyol 1

79 mins
Jacob Murphy shot at Leazes End 2-1

89 mins Garcia header 2-2

Full time: 
Newcastle 2 Espanyol 2

We Said

 

Eddie Howe said:

On the absent Alexander Isak:

"The situation is unchanged. Me and Alex have had a conversation and it's clear at the moment I can’t involve him in the group. 

"I don’t know when that will change: it's frustrating we're missing such an important part of the team.

"He is training later than the rest of the squad. There have been discussions since the tour. I don’t think disciplinary action has happened.

"He is here, so of course he has a future at Newcastle. From our perspective, we would love to have him back with the team, but the situation has to be right for that to happen.

"He’s fit, he doesn’t have a fitness issue, I'm aware of a felling within the squad that there's something not there to the benefit of the group.

"I’d rather leave it with that line. Discussions between us must remain private but it’s clear that I can’t involve him with the team at the moment.

"I want Alex to be playing today - I want him to be training tomorrow. We would love the player to be with us.

"Let me make that absolutely clear, there is no part of me that doesn’t want that outcome. But I don’t see that (absence) changing before Aston Villa.”

On whether the club could block his sale:

"I don’t think it’s that straightforward, otherwise we’d have done that a long time ago. I don’t think we’re in a position to do that currently."

On transfers:

"We're still looking. We're active and we'll be active until we have the squad we want - and that isn't the case, clearly, at the moment with gaps to fill.

"We're focused on a number of positions and a number of players. We're still working incredibly hard to add (to the squad). I think we're one of a number of teams who have found it difficult to bring in the right players."


On PIF etc:

"The owners are very much engaged, as much as they always have been.

"This has been a challenging period where there’ll be a lot of different opinions on different subjects, but can assure everybody connected with Newcastle that the owners are very much behind the project and fighting every day for the club.”

On Martin Dubravka, who completed a permanent move to Burnley days earlier:

"Absolutely brilliant for me - a pleasure to coach and work with. His journey at Newcastle was a great story. We thank him for all he's done for the club and he leaves with his head held high, knowing he did a great job for us." 

They Said

Manolo Gonzalez said: 

nothing that we've found as yet.


Recent comments from substitute goalkeeper Angelo Fortuno, promoted from the reserves:

"I'd rather go to Jupiter than play for Barca".

Stats

 

There was a Magpies debut for goalkeeper Aaron Ramsdale and a home bow for Korean teenager Seung-soo Park  

Ramsdale became the sixth goalkeeper to get senior team pitch time in pre-season, after messrs Pope, Dubravka, Ruddy, Gillespie and Thompson. Vlachodimos hasn't been called upon and wasn't present for this game, reportedly having travelled to Spain to seal a loan move to Seville.

Ramsdale's previous visits to SJP:

Nov 2019 With Bournemouth, NUFC won 2-1
May 2021 With Sheffield United, NUFC won 1-0
May 2022 With Arsenal, NUFC won 2-0
May 2023 With Arsenal, NUFC lost 0-2

Matt Targett
scored for the first time as a Newcastle player in any level of senior football.

Jacob Murphy netted his third goal in pre-season, continuing his liking for scoring in kickabouts continues - this his fourteenth senior non-competitive strike. He's amassed 21 that mattered.

This was Newcastle's third-ever meeting with the side from Barcelona, all friendlies:

May 1960 won 5-2 @ Estadi de Sarria
Aug 2000 lost 1-2 @ Montjuic Stadium
Aug 2025 drew 2-2 @ SJP

Pre-season pitch time (in minutes):


Ashby 45+0+20+18+0+0=83
Barnes 45+45+45+0+82+0=217 +1 goal
Botman 45+45+25+0+0+0=115
Burn 0+45+45+0+90+90=270
Dubravka 0+45=45
Elanga 0+45+45+90+8+0=143 + 1 goal
Gillespie 0+0+0+0+8+0=8
Gordon
0+45+45+90+62+0=197
Guimaraes 0+45+45+0+90+90=270
Hall 0+0+0+0+13+45=58
Al.Harrison
0+0+0+1+0+45=46
Hernes
45+14+0+13+3+0=75
Joelinton 45+0+45+0+87+0=177 +1 goal
Krafth 0+45+45+72+8+90=260
Lascelles
45+45+45+90+0+0=225
Livramento
0+0+45+90+28+0=163
S.Longstaff 45=45 +1 goal
L.Miley 45+76+45+90+90+90=436
Munda 0+0+0+0+0+0=0
A.Murphy 45+45+45+90+0+0=225
J.Murphy 45+45+45+0+77+90=3-2 +3 goals
Neave 45+14+17+0+0+27=103
Osula 45+76+73+82+28+90=394
Parkinson 45=45 +1 goal
Pope 45+45+45+72+82+0=289
Ramsdale 90=90
Ruddy
45+0+17+0+0+0=62
Schar 45+45+45+0+82+90=307
Seung-soo 0+8+13+63=84
Shahar
45+0=45
Sanusi 45+0=45
Targett 45+45+45+0+62+90=287 +1 goal
M.Thompson
0+0+0+18+0+0=18
Tonali 0+45+45+77+0+0=167
Trippier 45+45+45+0+77+0=212
Vlachodimos 0+0+0+0+0+0=0
White 45+45=90

Willock 45+45+45+90+0+0=225


Waffle

Newcastle played their second successive draw of pre-season on Friday night, thanks to efforts from Matt Targett and Jacob Murphy plus a penalty save from debutant goalkeeper Aaron Ramsdale.

The Magpies lined up in their blue third kit with Ramsdale making his bow and Seung-soo Park gaining his first experience of playing on Tyneside.

Ramsdale was beaten in the 17th minute by a 25 yard blockbuster from Edu Exposito, but the hosts trailed only briefly before Lewis Miley's smart centre to the back post was nodded home by Targett.

Local referee Michael Oliver pointed to the penalty spot in the 37th minute after Targett was harshly adjudged to have impeded Exposito when a cross flew across the area.

Up stepped visiting captain Paudo - who had beaten Ramsdale from 12 yards earlier in pre-season, as his previous club Southampton faced Espanyol in a kickabout.

The ''keeper had gone right that time and conceded, but went the same away again and successfully blocked Paudo's penalty kick this time.

The only interval change saw Lewis Hall fail to appear in a planned substitution aimed at easing him back into action following his prolonged absence. The arrival of Alfie Harrison saw Targett return to a more familiar left back role after his unexpected 45 minutes in midfield.

Newcastle came close to going ahead through Fabian Schar and William Osula before a failed attempt at playing out from the back gave Jacob Murphy a simple finish.

That looked to be enough for Eddie Howe's side to claim victory as the Catalans made continual changes, but a rare excursion upfield in the closing seconds ended with veteran Enrique Garcia glancing home Pere Milla's cross for 2-2.   

Of the new boys, Ramsdale was noticeably more confident receiving the ball at his feet than rival Nick Pope, while Park showed no lack of eagerness in the hour he was given on the left, leaving amid warm applause from the crowd.

Lewis Miley also once again caught the eye; the 19 year-old United's most frequently used player in pre-season and creating one goal before working his way back to a similar post and coming close to repeating the feat.

Biffa