UEFA Youth League – Young Newcastle United stars so close to major upset against Barcelona | OneFootball

What a brilliant effort from the young Newcastle United stars against Barcelona.

One of the additional benefits of United qualifying for the Champions League, is that the young Newcastle United teenagers get to play against some of their best European counterparts.

None of them better than this afternoon coming up against the reigning UEFA Youth League champions – Barcelona.

The Newcastle United teenagers (Under 18s) were in great form, with four wins and a draw this season in their five matches, including a 4-3 win away at Liverpool on Saturday.

The Newcastle v Barcelona UEFA Youth League clash took place at Whitley Park on Thursday, a 3pm kick-off.

The classy visitors taking a 23rd minute lead and then when they scored another two late in the half, it looked set to be a potentially morale damaging final scoreline.

However, a brilliant second-half fightback so nearly produced a shock.

Leo Shahar and Sean Neave with the goals to pull it back to just a one goal margin, with then other chances for Newcastle after the break that could have seen them grab a point, or even a win!

In the end it wasn’t to be but against such high quality opposition, this ability to come back so strongly against Barcelona will have given the young United stars so much inspiration.

Newcastle United official report on Newcastle United U19s 2 Barcelona U19s 3 – 18 September 2025:

Newcastle United Under-19s kicked off their 2025/26 UEFA Youth League campaign with a narrow 3-2 defeat against defending champions FC Barcelona on Thursday afternoon.

The Toon teenagers fell behind in the first-half at Whitley Park, with Xavi Espart’s close-range finish opening the scoring for the Spanish outfit before Oscar Gistau’s quick-fire brace on the stroke of half-time extended the visitors’ lead.

Leo Shahar’s impressive free-kick after the restart gave United a lifeline before Kacey Wooster’s terrific finish set up a tense finale but, despite a spirited second-half display, the young Magpies were edged out in an entertaining five-goal encounter.

With former Newcastle and Barcelona striker Patrick Kluivert in attendance, Magpies goalkeeper George Mair produced the first save of the afternoon as the 15-year-old goalkeeper, who made his England Under-17s debut earlier this month, held Sama Nomoko’s low drive from the edge of the penalty area.

However, in the 23rd minute, Barça took the lead through Espart as the central midfielder arrived onto Oscar Gistau’ low pass inside the box before sliding a low first-time shot into the bottom right-hand corner.

Sean Neave, who has scored four times in his opening five matches at under-21 level, went close to equalising for the hosts as the Winlaton-born forward, who made his first-team debut for his boyhood club in a pre-season friendly against Celtic FC, latched onto Kyle Fitzgerald’s inviting pass, following a positive run from the Irish winger, before drilling a fierce effort wide of the right-hand post.

Mair produced a strong stop to deny Shane Kluivert, son of Champions League winner Patrick, from doubling Barcelona’s advantage after the teenage ‘keeper beat away the Dutch winger’s ferocious drive towards goal.

Anthony Munda, who joined Newcastle’s Academy as a nine-year-old, was unable to draw United’s youngsters level as the Cowgate-born midfielder completed a strong run towards the penalty area before directing his attempt wide of the target.

Newcastle suffered a tough blow in the 44th minute as Gistau scored Barcelona’s second goal of the afternoon, controlling Pedro Rodriguez’s pass on the egde of the box before guiding an impressive strike into the top left-hand corner.

In the third minute of additional time, Newcastle conceded a third goal as Gistau capitalised on Mair’s attempted clearance following a weak back pass to the teenage ‘keeper, before lifting the ball into the net from distance.

Newcastle pulled a goal back in the 51st minute through Shahar’s free-kick as the Magpies skipper, a representative of England at under-19 level, raced onto Fitzgerald’s lay-off before firing a terrific strike beyond Barcelona goalkeeper Eder Aller.

Barça almost restored their three-goal cushion after the hour mark as Espart collected the ball inside the box before the Spanish teenager’s drilled effort struck the outside of the right-hand post.

Seung-soo Park, introduced from the substitutes’ bench, almost made a goalscoring impact as the South Korean winger, who joined the Magpies from Suwon Bluewings in July, collected Neave’s pass following a positive run from the 18-year-old striker but flashed the resulting effort wide of the target.

Kacey Wooster looked to halved the deficit for the hosts after racing onto Neave’s neat pass before slotting the ball beyond Aller but the promising striker’s effort was disallowed after being adjudged to have strayed into an offside position.

The 17-year-old forward, though, set up a grandstand finish after getting his name on the scoresheet in the 81st minute. After Park’s neat pass found its way into Dylan Charlton’s path on the left-back, the Gateshead-born full-back picked out Wooster, who produced an excellent touch inside the box before firing the ball into the bottom left-hand corner.

Neave went close to completing an incredible fightback in the fourth minute of stoppage-time as the England Under-18 international connected with Charlton’s inviting cross from the left flank but saw his header fly narrowly wide of the left-hand post.

Newcastle’s youngsters are back in UEFA Youth League action on Wednesday, 1st October when facing an away clash against Union Saint-Gilloise.