Raphinha relieved: ex-Sporting man earns last-gasp draw at Newcastle | OneFootball

In the first leg of the UEFA Champions League Round of 16, Newcastle and Barcelona could not go beyond a one-all draw tonight (1-1), after Lamine Yamal successfully converted a penalty in the final play of the match. Harvey Barnes had put the Magpies ahead, but it was not enough to travel to Spain with an advantage.

The first half was marked by balance and few opportunities for both teams. The best chance fell to Will Osula, who leapt higher than his teammates to head the ball just over Joan Garcia’s goal. Thus, at halftime (0-0), the score remained goalless after 45 minutes.

In the second half, Robert Lewandowski came very close to changing the score for the first time in the 65th minute, while Joelinton put his name on the scoresheet shortly after, but the Brazilian international was offside and the goal was disallowed. That moment galvanized Newcastle, who took a 1-0 lead in the 85th minute. Jacob Murphy faced João Cancelo, crossed to the far post, and Barnes finished first-time to put his team ahead. Joan Garcia still got a touch on the ball, but the 1-0 was confirmed.

Barcelona fought until the end to level the tie and achieved it in the 90+4 minute, after Malick Thiaw brought down Dani Olmo inside the box. Lamine Yamal was called to take the penalty and did not falter (1-1), giving an important result to Raphinha’s team – who has already spoken out against the Ballon d'Or.

This season, wearing the Blaugrana shirt, Raphinha – valued at 80 million euros – has played 30 matches: 19 in La Liga, six in the Champions League, two in the Spanish Super Cup, and three in the Copa del Rey. In the 1,842 minutes he has been on the pitch, the left-footer has scored 14 goals and provided five assists.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇵🇹 here.