Newcastle United suffered a disappointing 1-0 defeat to Borussia Dortmund last night, but Nick Pope made sure the scoreline remained respectable.
Sky Sports pundit Clinton Morrison was covering the match for Soccer Special.
An end-to-end game was ultimately decided by one moment of quality from Felix Nmecha just before half-time.
Newcastle had their chances with Callum Wilson arguably missing the pick of the bunch in the second half.
He took a touch from close range before being denied by a wonderful save from George Kobel.
The hosts hit the bar twice in the closing stages but unfortunately, Eddie Howe’s side suffered their first European defeat of the season.
The result could have been worse last night had it not been for Nick Pope.
Pope denied Dortmund’s forwards brilliantly on several occasions and kept Newcastle in the game in the first half.
The £10m shot-stopper once again proved he was worth every penny although there was nothing he could do about Nmecha’s match-winner.
He’s thrived in the Champions League so far this season, putting in a particularly good performance against AC Milan.
Pope stars for Newcastle against Dortmund
Speaking on Sky Sports after a fine double save from the England international, Morrison said: “It’s a wonderful save from Pope, he sticks his feet out and does brilliantly.
“Dortmund haven’t come here to sit back.”
The 31-year-old made four saves and completed all but two of his passes yesterday and couldn’t have done much more to help his side get a result.
The worry for Newcastle now going forward will be the number of injuries that are piling up.
Alexander Isak limped off in the first half before Jacob Murphy appeared to pick up a serious shoulder injury.
With Sven Botman already ruled out and Sandro Tonali likely to be handed an extended ban very soon, Eddie Howe is running out of options across the squad.
He will therefore need the likes of Nick Pope to continue to put in performances like he did against Dortmund to help Newcastle maintain their position in the Premier League.
That won’t be easy and a trip to Manchester United in the Carabao Cup next week will be a tough test in their quest to end their long wait for silverware.