Newcastle boss Eddie Howe discusses ‘difficult’ Benfica game after 3-2 pre-season loss

Eddie Howe has reacted to Newcastle’s “very difficult” pre-season fixture against Benfica.

The Toon were beaten 3-2 by their Portuguese opponents at the Estadio da Luz, with Henrique Araujo’s 89th-minute goal the decider.

Miguel Almiron had scored the two Newcastle goals that looked set to be enough for the draw.

“It was a very good game, real high quality, for me, this was a Premier League game in terms of standards,” Howe said of his football team’s performance.

“The start of the game was difficult for us, they’re a very good team.”

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