March 11, (THEWILL) — A Lamine Yamal penalty in the sixth minute of added time earned Barcelona a 1-1 draw at Newcastle United in the opening leg of their UEFA Champions League last-16 fixture, leaving the contest finely poised ahead of the return at Camp Nou.
The game began at a cautious tempo. Joan Garcia spilled a Sandro Tonali header from a corner inside the opening four minutes, but Pau Cubarsi was well-placed to clear off the line. Garcia then stretched to keep out Anthony Elanga’s low drive, while Dan Burn’s poked block very nearly rolled into his own net.
William Osula wasted a promising opportunity with a looping header that cleared the bar in the first half, and Barcelona’s best opening of the second period came through Robert Lewandowski, whose well-struck effort drifted past the far post. Newcastle believed they had taken the lead in the 74th minute when Harvey Barnes curled a shot off the post, and Joelinton turned in the rebound, only for the offside flag to cut short any celebration.
The hosts eventually found their goal in the 86th minute. Jacob Murphy delivered a precise curling cross from the right flank, and Barnes, having drifted clear of his marker, scuffed his shot in via a deflection off Garcia’s face.
Barcelona pulled level in the 96th minute. Dani Olmo drew a foul from Malick Thiaw inside the penalty area, and Yamal stepped up to send Aaron Ramsdale the wrong way, placing the ball into the bottom-left corner to ensure both sides share the advantage before next week’s second leg.
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
