"Eddie Howe was in little doubt that it was the biggest game Newcastle had ever played. Newcastle had to do more than subdue Barcelona, the top team in Spain last season and so far this time out. They had to manage the occasion because it was one that came to rest on the edge of a knife."
"When they made it happen towards the end of regulation time, it was the prompt for their hopes to surge. Harvey Barnes had been denied by the post on 75 minutes after a lovely move, with Joelinton flagged for offside when he put the rebound into the net. Barnes refused to believe that it would form the basis of his story and there was joy in the home stands when he ghosted unmarked on to a cross from the substitute, Jacob Murphy."
"Barcelona had not offered very much in the final third but with time almost up, Dani Olmo, who had come on as a substitute, made a move inside the Newcastle area that was too cute for Malick Thiaw. The Newcastle defender nibbled at him, the contact was there and the penalty was given. When Lamine Yamal converted, it added up to the most bitter of pills for Newcastle."
Newcastle faced Barcelona in an unprecedented first Champions League knockout match, with manager Eddie Howe acknowledging its significance as the club's biggest game. The match was tightly contested with few clear chances. Newcastle took the lead late in regulation time when Harvey Barnes scored unmarked from a Jacob Murphy cross after an earlier goal was ruled out for offside. However, Barcelona equalized dramatically in stoppage time when substitute Dani Olmo drew a penalty that Lamine Yamal converted. The result left Newcastle with mixed emotions heading into the second leg at Camp Nou, having come close to a historic victory but ultimately settling for a draw.
Read at www.theguardian.com
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