The round of 16 of the UEFA Champions League had Newcastle United disappointed by a late goal from Lamine Yamal, as the English side were held to a 1–1 draw after Barns had given Newcastle United the lead in the 86th minute.
The draw means that the English side will go to Spain with no advantage and will have to do it the hard way if they are to qualify for the next round of the Champions League.
With the exception of multiple goals, the game was exciting from start to finish, as both teams had their fair share of chances and misses.
Albeit, FC Barcelona had it more difficult as the side from England were determined to shut them out for the entire game, and they almost succeeded until Malik Chaw brought down Dani Olmo in the third minute of the four minutes of additional time given.
This presented Barcelona with their best opportunity of the game, and Lamine made no mistake in sending Aaron Ramsdale the wrong way from the penalty spot.
Barcelona looked different from the team their fans have been seeing over the years, as key players like Raphinha, Pedri, Yamal, and Robert Lewandowski failed to reach their usual individual standards, thereby making their overall team play ineffective.
Perhaps the absence of Frenkie de Jong ensured that the team did not click, as he is the one who makes the job easier for those around him with his ability to dictate the tempo of the game.
The introduction of out of favour Manchester United loanee Marcus Rashford for Barcelona, and Anthony Gordon for Newcastle, had no significant effect on the game.
Come the return leg, Barcelona will be hoping that the English side will not find the same strength they used in playing last night, because they were able to finish the game with the same energy they started with, as players like Sandro Tonali, Joelinton, and Anthony Elanga were uncontainable.
Paris Saint Germain will welcome Chelsea FC on Wednesday, while Bayer Leverkusen takes on in-form Arsenal FC.
In other fixtures, Real Madrid will face Manchester City, and surprise team of the tournament Bodø/Glimt of Norway will test their might against Sporting CP of Portugal.
