It was a friendly match, but not as we usually know them.
A 135-minute game played across three thirds of equal length - and one which took place on a Premier League weekend.
While some top-flight sides have decided to use these fallow few days over FA Cup quarter-final weekend to merely rest, Rafa Benitez has been meticulously planning Newcastle United’s route towards survival during the final eight games of the season.
Royal Antwerp may not be able to match the intensity of an English top-flight side - they are eighth in the Belgian league, and were poor throughout - but this was still a semi-competitive game for Newcastle at the end of an extremely productive four-day training camp in Spain.
And the purpose of this friendly was not to embarrass Antwerp with a one-sided scoreline, even if that should have been the case. How the Belgian outfit left the Pinatar Arena near Murcia with a 1-1 draw almost defies belief given the disparity between the teams throughout almost the entire 135-minute game.
What Benitez hoped to garner from this match was some much-needed gametime for his first-team squad; it may have only been in a semi-competitive environment, but this friendly was a very useful exercise for United.
Fringe players like Isaac Hayden, Mikel Merino and Joselu, who had barely seen any action in 2018 - or at all in the league this season, as was the case with Massadio Haidara - were given 90-minute runouts, while in-form first-teamers were also presented with an opportunity to continue excelling.
While snow was falling on Tyneside, the temperature was in the mid-teens in Spain and, though it was windy, the conditions were conducive for a decent game.
A total of 22 players were used during this friendly - and 14 of them played for a full 90 minutes. Only Jonjo Shelvey, Florian Lejeune and Chancel Mbemba were withdrawn before the end of the first 90 minutes - and for the latter of those at least, that was a precautionary measure due to a knock the Democratic Republic of Congo international picked up in training during the week.
The first 45-minute period was undoubtedly the most intense - and United dominated it, just as they did the next two.
Newcastle’s opener - which came after Ciaran Clark and Mikel Merino had both missed good opportunities - came after 39 minutes, when Mbemba floated a long ball forward, Matt Ritchie took one touch to control, before he delicately lobbed the ball over an advancing Sinan Bolat.
Jonjo Shelvey ran the game during those opening 45 minutes, and it was no surprise that the Magpies lacked a little creativity when the in-form midfielder - who is believed to be frustrated by his continued omission from the England squad - was withdrawn.
Aside from Ritchie, who continued to buzz around carving out opportunities for himself and others, Newcastle lacked a real creative force during the middle third, which tapered along without much incident of note.
For the third period, Benitez introduced the final eight members of his squad - Islam Slimani sat out the game due to his on-going thigh problem, while Karl Darlow suffered a slight knock to his shoulder this week - and that appeared to unsettle United for the first couple of minutes.
Under-23 goalkeeper Nathan Harker was unfortunate to see Alexander Corryn fire a low shot into the bottom corner of the net just seconds after the restart - but after that the young shot-stopper looked calm and assured throughout.
His fellow reserve-team graduate Victor Fernandez was also a real plus point from this game. The 19-year-old Spaniard was introduced on the right-wing and he showed real flair and invention. He was even singled out for praise by Benitez after the game.
Frustratingly, Dwight Gayle missed a late spot kick after Ayoze Perez was upended in the area - and that was one of a string of chances United squandered. Their superiority throughout meant they deserved to find a winner but, as has so often been the case in the league this season, they were far too wasteful.
The result, however, was largely irrelevant. This trip and this friendly is very much a means to an end for Benitez: namely securing Premier League survival over the course of the next two months.
Newcastle are in a strong position, four points clear of the drop zone and with a game in hand on four of the teams below them.
They have also had three full weeks to prepare for their huge clash against Huddersfield Town at St James’ Park on March 31.
While Newcastle’s rivals are scratching around trying to find a route to survival, Benitez is well on his way to navigating a path towards safety for United.