Newcastle 1-1 Barcelona: The Premier League side thought they had a dream night with a second-half goal from Harvey Barnes, but Lamine Yamal converted a stoppage-time penalty.
Lamine Yamal’s late penalty silenced St James’ Park as Barcelona equalized.
Newcastle’s dream night was thwarted by a stoppage-time penalty, with Barcelona salvaging a draw through Lamine Yamal’s penalty, but Harvey Barnes’ second-half goal in the Champions League first leg was canceled out.
The Magpies thought they could give Spain a deserved lead when the winger netted his first goal at the back post with less than five minutes remaining in the 90th minute. It was a rare moment when the final result looked like a win in a last-16 encounter.
But a foul on Fermín López in the final minutes of the game caused the referee to point to the spot without hesitation, and Yamal stepped up to guide Aaron Ramsdale in the wrong direction to regain equal footing.
Joelinton was quickest to react when Barnes’ shot hit the post with 15 minutes remaining and thought he had scored Newcastle’s winner, but the Brazilian was immediately booked for offside.
Newcastle were unlucky not to take the lead going into half-time, but despite a promising attacking position they could do little to force Barcelona goalkeeper Joao Garcia into serious action. Either the ball wasn’t met into the box or the shot went wide. Anthony Elanga was an ambitious runner and his pace was always an outlet for the hosts, but the lack of final product was a source of frustration.
Robert Lewandowski had Barcelona’s best chance just after the hour mark when he got on the edge of Rafinha’s cross, but the Polish player was under pressure and stretched and could only deflect his shot just wide of the post.
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Barcelona won 2-1 in the league, thanks to two goals from Marcus Rashford, who returned to England. The loanee started the night on the bench and came on with 20 minutes remaining, but it was star man Yamal who nervously converted a penalty in the 94th minute. Here are 5 things to talk about at St James’s Park
Harvey Barnes thought he would find a winner late on.
The dream scenario was ruined
The biggest culprit for Newcastle, Howe and everyone at St James’ Park will be the lack of match management. They tried to hold on with less than 10 minutes left, but they were unable to do so and the advantage they thought they had gained with Barnes’ late goal was erased.
Barcelona were on the verge of an equalizer and had a golden chance with four minutes left in stoppage time. All the hosts wanted was to take a one-goal lead over the Camp Nou and the team’s personnel would have given them a chance to hold on, but conceding so late takes the wind out of the equation and will make that a difficult task next week.
hall rises
Facing Kylian Mbappé is perhaps the toughest challenge in world football for a full-back, but trying to contain Yamal at full flow is not far off. Lewis Hall has had his Newcastle career hampered by injuries, but he has shown his quality and at times made the Ballon d’Or runner-up look ordinary.
Lewis Hall has proven chemistry with Ramin Yamal
It’s always going to be a big challenge, but the former Chelsea player has more than met it. Barcelona’s front three wreaked havoc in Europe last season, but Newcastle’s back four coped admirably with an excellent cast and Hall led the effort.
Barcelona needs to find another level
Around this time last season, the Catalans beat Benfica in the two-leg, and it felt like all of Europe watched in awe as they scored at will. They won both the league and cup in Spain and have a good chance of winning it again, but they don’t look as attractive a team as they did 12 months ago.
They are perceived to be on the easier side of the draw and could be Arsenal’s semi-final opponents if both sides continue to win. But there is no doubt that Barcelona need to find a new gear if they want to claim the European crown that many felt was within their grasp before they were eliminated in the last four last season.
Pace is still king
Newcastle’s best efforts in the Champions League this season have frequently seen Gordon cause havoc. Even with the former Everton man on the bench, Elanga was there to fill the void. Both players have tremendous speed and cannot be defended against.
Anthony Heranga’s pace proved to be a problem for Barcelona all night
This is a blueprint for success for the Magpies, especially if both Gordon and Elanga are on the pitch at the same time. That didn’t happen on Tuesday, but even against a quality side in Barcelona, their best moments came when the ball went wide and hit a player’s feet at breakneck speed. That may prove to be the best bet to secure a memorable night in Barcelona next week.
£125 million canceled
Howe will no doubt comment that there is a game plan or reason behind the disrespect. But the Newcastle manager somewhat undermined his case when he claimed he was hindered by PSR in the transfer window, leaving the £125m batsman on the bench in the club’s biggest game in memory.
In terms of the starting XI, both Nick Woltemade and Ioan Wissa were ignored. The German paid a club record £70m, but Wissa returned £55m to the club on deadline day. Newcastle’s summer spending hasn’t been ideal, but the absence of both players on Tuesday night was a damning indictment of their recent signings.
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