UCL: Lamine Yamal rescues Barcelona with late penalty against Newcastle United

NEWCASTLE: Barcelona’s teenage star Lamine Yamal scored a dramatic stoppage-time penalty to rescue a 1–1 draw against Newcastle United in the first leg of their Champions League last-16 tie here at St James’ Park on Tuesday.

Newcastle looked set to carry a narrow advantage into the return leg after Harvey Barnes fired the hosts ahead in the 86th minute. 

Barnes volleyed home Jacob Murphy’s cross to spark celebrations among the home supporters following an impressive performance by Eddie Howe’s side.

However, Barcelona snatched an equaliser with the final kick of the game. In the fourth minute of stoppage time, Newcastle defender Malick Thiaw brought down Dani Olmo inside the penalty area, prompting the referee to award a spot kick.

The 18-year-old Yamal stepped up and calmly placed the penalty into the bottom corner, sending goalkeeper Aaron Ramsdale the wrong way.

Newcastle manager Eddie Howe praised his team’s performance despite the late setback. He said his side had been “outstanding” and maintained a high intensity against a strong Barcelona team, but admitted the final moment cast a shadow over an otherwise excellent display.

The hosts had earlier thought they had taken the lead in the second half when Joelinton scored from the rebound after Barnes struck the post, but the effort was ruled out for offside.

Barcelona struggled to break through Newcastle’s defence for much of the match, with Robert Lewandowski coming closest when he narrowly missed the far post from a Raphinha cross.

Despite being second best for long periods, Barcelona secured a valuable result ahead of the second leg in Spain on March 18, where the tie will resume with both sides level.