Barcelona equalise with last kick of the game as Newcastle United leave legs at breaking point | OneFootball

Newcastle United 1-1 Barcelona

Hansi Flick was heard telling his players before the match that they had to be focused in the opening stages of their trip to St. James’ Park to face Newcastle United, matching the intensity. The German manager was vindicated with his advice, but it was the rest of the game that caused them issues too.

After just three minutes, Pau Cubarsi was forced to clear off the line after Joan Garcia spilled a cross. That set the tone for nervy opening 20 minutes, as Newcastle drove deep in behind full-backs Ronald Araujo and Joao Cancelo time and again. It was Anthony Elanga on the right who gave Barcelona the most grief, whipping several dangerous balls across the six-yard box that found no takers. The one time Will Osula did connect, he was stretching and could not keep a free header down.

It was Elanga himself after 20 minutes who forced the one remarkable save out of Garcia, beating the offside trap, and rasping his shot to the far corner, but was denied by a sensational fingertip save. Barcelona did settle into some longer spells of possession thereafter, as they sought to lower the rhythm and reduce the opportunities Newcastle had to launch their attacks. At the other end, Barcelona’s attacks ran almost exclusively through Lamine Yamal.

The teenager released Raphinha into a good position on the left side of the box on two occasions, but he did not make good use of them. The one he did pull back to Fermin Lopez in perfect shooting position was aimed straight at Aaron Ramsdale. Lamine Yamal did beat Lewis Hall in the box on one occasion, that time Ramsdale called into more strenuous action.

Barcelona rescue exhausting effort

The second half started in much the same fashion as the first ended, with Barcelona enjoying more of the ball, but expressing a definite sense of vulnerability. Eddie Howe would have been considerably more comfortable watching Elanga and Osula race in behind, than Flick whose side were unable to move forward. Robert Lewandowski and Raphinha were beaten to every ball, and their struggles to spend time in possession unnerved Barcelona.

On the rare occasion they did, Barcelona were able to cause trouble. Raphinha was released in down the left with the Newcastle defence scrambling, and picked out Lewandowski in the middle. On the stretch, the veteran forward stabbed the ball wide of the far post. Moments later, a ball in from deep found Jacob Murphy, whose volley from the penalty spot sailed over the bar – the first gilt-edged chance.

The intensity was taking its toll on Barcelona though, and after 70th minute, an exhausted Pedri was removed for his own good. Moments later, the risk was illustrated by Marc Bernal, who went down and was replaced by Marc Casado. Barnes would crack the post with 15 minutes to go, and Joelinton celebrated the opener, only for the offside flag to silence the crowd. Yet the feeling was that the dam was close to breaking all game, and with four minutes to go, it did.

A one-two on the right side from Murphy found an unmarked Barnes in the six-yard box for once, and he bundled in the finish for the opening goal of the tie. Raphinha was defending at the far post, with Ronald Araujo having to come off through injury for debutant Xavi Espart, Barcelona down to the bare bones.

Into stoppage time, it didn’t even look as if Barcelona were attacking with too much urgency, coming to terms with the deficit for the second leg. Yet as the clock turned 94:00, the last of four minutes of stoppage time, Raphinha found Dani Olmo on the edge of the box. He thought he’d removed Malick Thiaw from the equation with a brilliant drop of the shoulder, but was brought down in the box. To the disbelief of the entire stadium, Lamine Yamal stepped up and rolled the penalty into the left corner.

His celebration was an arms wide shrug – which spoke to the confusing nature of the closing stages. Barcelona were stretched to breaking point, and eventually caved after repeated incisions. Despite stirring efforts from Garcia, Pau Cubarsi and Gerard Martin, the two injuries were physical evidence of their inability to cope with Newcastle’s relentless nature, their futile efforts to impose their own style on the game.

And yet a moment of quality in the dying seconds rendered the previous 94 minutes null and void. Barcelona return to Camp Nou with parity, but also significant headaches to go with the aches and pains in their legs. Flick was eight days to come up with some answers.