Newcastle United opens Sela Cup with win against Fiorentina
By Cade Cracas
Newcastle United and Fiorentina went toe to toe against one another on Saturday, August 5, in the opening contest of the Sela Cup tournament. The cup, which is being held at St. James Park, serves as a last-ditch effort at preparing for the upcoming seasons for teams competing.
For the Magpies, the goal was to give some first-team reps to younger prospects that may not get playing time when the regular season hits. Fortunately, even with some key players not being involved, they were able to take home a 2-0 win against Fiorentina.
Heading into the outing against Fiorentina, all eyes were on Manager Eddie Howe in wondering whether or not he was going to give some of his stars the ability to start before the regular season rolled around.
When the outing began, the starters took the field and the Toon Army expressed their excitement on social media as the squad saw numerous everyday starters being given the opportunity to play in front of their home fans.
Howe opted to give time to Sven Botman, Kieran Trippier, Sandro Tonali, Alexander Isak, Anthony Gordon and Miguel Almiron, all players who will likely be given a good amount of starting reps when the 2023-24 Premier League season kicks off in just a week.
The starters showcased poise early on as Botman helped defend well against a few fast attacks that Fiorentina tried to capitalize on early on, but his leadership helped man the backline well.
Newcastle goalkeeper Martin Dubravka also looked strong as he helped shield away shots, keeping the contest level at zeroes.
However, the first real bang came in the 36th minute just before halftime.
Almiron and the Magpie offense pieced together a swift possession that caught the Fiorentina defensive line off guard, leading to the opening goal going in favor of Newcastle.
With four defenders closing in on Almiron and Isak, Isak touched the ball nicely forward as Almiron ran onto it, slicing the ball past the goalkeeper and into the right corner.
Heading into halftime, the Magpies led 1-0 and showed tremendous confidence.
In the second half, Fiorentina attempted to make a few solid attempts at making the game level again, but each attack fizzled out before any real danger was shown.
Both teams also became fairly chippy with one another as the contest ended with over 20 fouls being committed and one yellow card being given out.
Although tensions ran high, the Magpies kept their composure and as the contest came to a close they found one more goal to pin the nail in the coffin.
Isak, who found an assist earlier in the contest, received a corner kick from Trippier and knocked it into the far corner finding the second goal of the contest.
That would be the final bit of action shown as the Magpies now heading into Sunday with five points under their belt in the Sela Cup tournament, three for the win and two for their two goals scored.
Newcastle finished the contest with 13 shots, five of which went on goal while Fiorentina recorded 13 as well, with just one on frame.
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The team’s next outing comes on Sunday, August 6, as they take on Villareal for their final contest of the tournament.