Newcastle’s hopes of reaching the knockout stages of the Champions League were dented as they fell to defeat against Borussia Dortmund.

Newcastle’s hopes of reaching the knockout stages of the Champions League were dented as they fell to defeat against Borussia Dortmund.

Niclas Fullkrug opened the scoring for the hosts midway through the first half and Julian Brandt added a second from a superb counter-attack late on as the Germans completed a Group F double over their English opponents.

Newcastle’s best chance fell to Joelinton just after the break, but the midfielder headed Tino Livramento’s cross wide from five yards out.

The Brazil international’s effort was a rare clear sight at goal for Newcastle, with Edin Terzic’s Dortmund side having controlled much of the first period.

The hosts enjoyed the better opportunities despite a much-improved second-half display from the injury-hit visitors.

“We weren’t at our best today,” said Newcastle manager Eddie Howe. “The intensity and quality of our normal game was missing.

“We still had our moments and Joelinton’s header is probably the key moment in the game from our perspective. He would back himself to score that if it came in again.”

The game was also subject to a short stoppage after the interval as fake golden bars and other objects were thrown onto the pitch from the ‘Yellow Wall’, part of a protest against Uefa’s proposed Champions League reforms, with one banner reading “You don’t care about the sport – all you care about is money”.

Newcastle’s return to Europe’s elite competition began in fine fashion with a draw away at AC Milan before they thrashed Paris St-Germain on Tyneside.

However, they now face an uphill challenge to qualify for the knockout rounds, with Dortmund’s double victory over Howe’s men moving them three points clear of Newcastle, who travel to PSG in their penultimate group match.

A defeat in Paris would leave Newcastle, now bottom of the group, unable to progress in the tournament after AC Milan’s victory over the French champions later on Tuesday.

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Depleted Newcastle toil in attack

Newcastle arrived at Signal Iduna Park having suffered only one defeat in two months, that coming at home against the same opposition two weeks ago.

But they rarely looked capable of earning revenge, with regular starters Miguel Almiron and Anthony Gordon initially left on the bench despite the under-strength look to Howe’s side.

With seven senior players out injured and Sandro Tonali serving a 10-month ban for breaching betting rules, Newcastle became the first side since Manchester United in 1997 to name eight English players in a starting XI for a Champions League match.

But it was a night of contrasting fortunes for two of those players.

Lewis Hall, who impressed at Old Trafford in the EFL Cup last week, collected an early booking as he struggled on the left and was withdrawn at half-time, having been one of three Newcastle players that had the chance to, but failed, to prevent Dortmund’s opener.

Livramento, who also excelled against Manchester United a week ago, looked considerably more comfortable once he had reverted to right-back having initially been deployed in midfield.

First-half headers from Joelinton and Fabian Schar both lacked the power to seriously test home goalkeeper Gregor Kobel, while Joe Willock’s 20-yard attempt after the break was hit straight at the Swiss international.

While Almiron and Gordon’s introduction did provide more spark, Joelinton’s glaring miss means that Alan Shearer remains the last player to score away from home in the competition for Newcastle.

And the manner in which Brandt sealed Dortmund’s success, finishing off Karim Adeyemi’s sweeping pass after the home side had cleared a Newcastle free-kick, will also disappoint Howe.