Newcastle United will continue their pre-season preparations as they take on Benfica at the Estádio da Luz this evening. The Magpies last came up against the Eagles back in the Europa League in 2013.
It was a remarkable feat that Newcastle were playing European football the year after winning promotion back from the Championship. Alan Pardew guided the Toon to a fifth placed finish and enjoyed a decent run on their way to the Quarter Finals where they'd face Jorge Jesus' side.
Benfica would win the first-leg 3-1 in Portugal despite Newcastle taking the lead through Papiss Cisse after just 12 minutes. Rodrigo equalised after 25 minutes before two second-half goals left Pardew's side with a mountain to climb, but the Magpies boss remained hopeful.
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"I thought we did so much right tonight," Pardew told reporters after the game. "We got ourselves in a great position and, especially at 1-1 in the second half, we had kind of taken the sting out of them.
"And then we gifted them a goal and then, looking at the third goal, I think Steven's [Taylor] desperately unlucky. It looks like he's caught Moussa [Sissoko]'s boot and that's affected his jump so it just wasn't to be I'm afraid.
"In terms of the performance and the players, I can't fault them. It was a great effort, we came here to have a go at them and they caused some problems to us just before half-time for about 10-15 minutes. Other than that, I thought we were in good control of the game.
"If it had been 2-1 you'd like to think we'd have a fantastic chance at home but it's an uphill chance for us now. It's one of those things and as a group we can be proud of the performance but disappointed in the result. I think that probably sums it up."
Despite the two-goal deficit, Pardew was confident that the crowd at St. James' Park would swing the tie in their favour. He said: "I think the away goal could come into it. If we get the first goal, I think that will obviously be very, very important at St James's.
"If we get the first goal, we're only going to need one more but they are a quality side and we have got to give them respect. On the break, they are going to be dangerous. I think we showed signs tonight that if we're ambitious, we can hurt a team."
It wasn't to be for Newcastle, despite Cisse's second-half strike giving them some hope with 20 minutes to play. An injury time equaliser from Savio mean the Eagles would get through the tie winning 4-2 on aggregate.
It was a European tie that still lives fondly in the memory for a lot of Newcastle supporters, and a return to the competition remains a long-term aim for the Magpies new owners. Joelinton has already spoken about aiming for a European spot this summer and Howe will be hoping his new look side are able to push towards that next season.
The friendly against Benfica will also prove a good test to see where Newcastle are currently at. The Portuguese side have been regulars in the Champions League in recent seasons and a good performance against the Eagles would tee up the Magpies well for the game against Athletic Club Bilbao and Atalanta.
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