Newcastle 0-1 Mainz: Elliot Anderson stands out in pre-season defeat in Austria
Our first pre-season defeat of the summer as Newcastle United lost 1-0 to Mainz at the Kufstein Arena.
The only goal of the game came in the second half, where Kieran Trippier's intercepted free-kick led to the Bundesliga side breaking clear and scoring through Burgzorg, who fired past Dubravka from the angle.
We enjoyed decent spells of possession but ultimately lacked quality or cutting edge in the final third, with our first shot on target coming via a 54th minute effort from Joelinton.
Jacob Murphy should have scored after a clever cut-back from Emil Krafth and Callum Wilson also came close, smashing straight at the Mainz goalkeeper soon after a good bit of wing play from Allan Saint-Maximin set up a half-chance for Jonjo Shelvey.
Watch the only goal of the game below:
Ryan Fraser, Chris Wood and Jacob Murphy all looked rusty - a reminder that we are in desperate need of a new striker and right winger - however Elliot Anderson looked the best player on the pitch after coming on for the final 30 minutes.
He always showed for the ball, wasn't afraid to get stuck in, got us on the front foot with a few driving runs and showed impressive balance when in possession. The 19-year-old looks fearless and ready to stake a claim for a first-team spot this season.
Sven Botman continued to look dominant in the air and tidy on the deck in what was his first start in a black and white shirt, however Fabian Schar suffered an injury scare in the opening stages of the second half, hobbling off with what appears to be a potential hamstring injury.
We looked fit and ended the game by far the better side, however the lack of quality on display in the final third may give us a timely nudge to get deals done in that area of the pitch over the coming weeks.
Here's the players who featured - and those who missed out - following our third friendly of the summer out in Austria:
STARTING XI: Dubravka – Trippier, Schar, Botman, Dummett – S Longstaff, Guimaraes, Joelinton – Almiron, Wood, Fraser.
SUBS: Dummett on for Ritchie (31st minute) and Burn on for Schar (57th minute)
XI for final 30 minutes: Pope - Krafth, Lascelles, Burn, Targett - Willock, Shelvey, Anderson - Murphy, Wilson, Saint-Maximin.
UNUSED SUBS: M Longstaff, Turner-Cooke.
MISSING: Lewis (calf), Fernandez (calf), Manquillo (groin), Watts (knee), Darlow, Gillespie, Gayle.
Next up, a behind closed doors clash with Burnley on Saturday, followed by a meeting with Benfica next Tuesday.
