Newcastle United manager Eddie Howe handed Lewis Hall his Champions League debut against Borussia Dortmund, but the teenager only lasted 45 minutes as the Magpies went on to lose 2-0.
In a surprise to Toon fans, Hall was named in the Newcastle starting XI to face Dortmund. Howe made three changes to his side, with Joe Willock and Tino Livramento also coming into the team alongside Hall.
The 19-year-old played on the left of defence in place of the injured Dan Burn, tasked with keeping Karim Adeyemi at bay. That was always going to be a tough task, but it was made even tougher when Hall picked up an early booking.
Dortmund played a clever ball in behind Hall, leading to a foot race between the Toon youngster and Niclas Fullkrug. It ended with the Dortmund striker on the floor and the Bundesliga giants winning a free-kick.
There was also a booking for Hall, which is exactly what he didn’t want just nine minutes into his Champions League debut.
The yellow card made it an uncomfortable half for Hall, who was replaced at half time.
Neil Lennon praises Lewis Hall despite booking vs Dortmund
The booking made Hall’s job even more difficult, and BBC Sport Neil Lennon had a huge amount of sympathy for the man on loan from Chelsea.
“That yellow card is harsh, I thought Lewis Hall did brilliantly,” he told BBC Sport.
“Both of them are it. Hall actually has outmuscled him.
“An awful decision!”
Newcastle defender was seriously unlucky on Champions League debut
Lennon’s assessment of the incident is very fair. Both players were at it, but Fullkrug used all of his experience to win a free-kick. In truth, he was fouling Hall just as much as he was being fouled.
It was an incredibly frustrating decision, made all the more difficult to stomach given the amount of tackles that Dortmund put in without punishment. They got away with so many challenges that were worse than Hall’s.
The yellow card led to Dortmund targeting Hall in the first half, with lots of attacks coming down Newcastle’s left-hand side.
Howe eventually decided to take Hall off, with Callum Wilson also being withdrawn as Miguel Almiron and Anthony Gordon came on as part of a double change.
That substitution may well have been planned in advance, but the booking for Hall certainly made Howe’s decision to take him off a bit easier.
It was an extremely tough night for Hall, and it was a tough night for Newcastle. The defeat means it is going to be incredibly difficult for the Magpies to advance to the next stage of the Champions League.
Their next game in the competition is away to Paris Saint-Germain before facing AC Milan at St James’ Park.
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