Champions League: How Lamine Yamal’s Late Penalty Earned Barcelona A Draw Against Newcastle

Yamal’s late penalty has earned Barcelona a draw against Newcastle.

NewsRain Nigeria reports that Lamine Yamal rescued a draw for Barcelona with a 96th-minute penalty to deny Newcastle United a famous win in the Champions League.

Newcastle looked to have taken control of the first leg of their last-16 tie when Harvey Barnes fired the hosts in front with a first-time finish late on.

But Barcelona were awarded a penalty deep into stoppage time after substitute Dani Olmo was brought down by Malick Thiaw inside the box.

Up stepped Lamine Yamal, who coolly sent goalkeeper Aaron Ramsdale the wrong way to level the tie before the return fixture at the Nou Camp next week.

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It was a sucker punch for Newcastle, who were just seconds from defeating the five-time winners.

Even the measured head coach, Eddie Howe, called this game the biggest in Newcastle’s recent history, and the energetic hosts certainly treated it as such as they went toe-to-toe with Barca.

With memories still fresh in these parts of the night, Newcastle stunned Barcelona in 1997, courtesy of a hat-trick from the watching Tino Asprilla.

Howe’s men looked determined to pull off a landmark result of their own in the first leg.

Barnes duly stepped up with a clever finish from substitute Jacob Murphy’s cross, which Barcelona goalkeeper Joan Garcia failed to keep out, sending the stadium into raptures in the 86th minute.

But there was still time for another late twist, and Lamine Yamal made it 1-1 with the last kick of the game to ensure Barcelona do not have to overturn a deficit going into the second leg.

This side may be 12th in the Premier League for a reason, but Newcastle relishes these European nights.

Although the overwhelming majority of these players had not even been born when Newcastle defeated Barca nearly 30 years ago, this was a chance for this group to make their own bit of history.

It certainly felt like a momentous occasion.

The noise was deafening before a ball was even kicked. Fireworks were let off into the sky before kick-off. A huge banner was unfurled in the Gallowgate End, which read: “Geordie boys are taking over, Budapest awaits for me.”

The players fed off the atmosphere and did not show Barca undue respect – Joelinton even welcomed Lamine Yamal to Tyneside with a meaty challenge in the opening stages.

Newcastle gave as good as they got and, with the game finely poised, midway through the second half, Howe made an attacking triple substitution as he threw on Tino Livramento, Murphy, and top scorer Anthony Gordon, who was too ill to start.

It soon paid off as Gordon picked out Murphy, who teed up Barnes to open the scoring.

Barnes left the field to a standing ovation after being taken off late on, but the devastated forward was ultimately left with his hands on his head on the bench after Barca’s equaliser.

After keeping Lamine Yamal so quiet in open play all night, Newcastle were ultimately left to rue a late sucker punch.
This was not Lamine Yamal’s best display in a Barcelona shirt.

Yet it was rather telling that the 18-year-old still stepped up with a huge goal for his side.

He had been well-marshalled throughout by Lewis Hall, who limited the forward to just one chance from open play, when the Spaniard saw an effort palmed into the side netting by Ramsdale in the first half.

But Hansi Flick tellingly left Lamine Yamal on the field as he turned to his bench and threw on, among others, Olmo, Marcus Rashford, and Ferran Torres late on.

It was Olmo, of course, who won his side a penalty, but there was only ever going to be one man who was going to take the spot-kick.

The gifted forward was the calmest figure inside the stadium as he stepped up to deafening boos and picked out the far corner to leave St James’ Park stunned.

You could see how much the goal meant to Barcelona as the bench emptied and players and staff wildly celebrated on the touchline.

But Flick will know his side will have to offer a lot more in the final third when they welcome Newcastle to the Nou Camp next week.

Newcastle travel to Stamford Bridge to take on Chelsea on Saturday, 14 March (17:30 GMT) before facing Barcelona in the return fixture at the Nou Camp on Wednesday, 18 March (17:45 GMT).

Barcelona welcome Sevilla to the Nou Camp on Sunday, 15 March (15:15 GMT) before the second leg.