Lamine Yamal sparks Anthony Gordon & Joelinton fury as Newcastle United suffer late Champions League blow
Newcastle United 1-1 Barcelona: Lamine Yamal scored a late-minute penalty to deny Newcastle a famous Champions League win at St James’ Park.
Newcastle United suffered late heartbreak in the Champions League at St James’ Park as they drew 1-1 with Barcelona.
Harvey Barnes put Newcastle in front in the 86th minute with what looked to be the winner. Four minutes of added time had passed by the time Malick Thiaw tripped Dani Olmo inside the penalty area see Barcelona awarded a spot kick.
Lamine Yamal stepped up and equalised with the last kick of the game to deliver a blow for Eddie Howe’s side heading into next week’s second leg at Camp Nou.
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Eddie Howe reacts to Champions League draw and late penalty
"I thought we were outstanding, a really, really good performance,” Howe told TNT Sports after the game. “We kept the intensity up. The moment at the end takes that in a negative light, but one of our best performances."
On the late penalty conceded, Howe added: “I think it is soft, but Malick makes contact.
"We had our shape, there's no way we should concede that goal. We will look at it but I don't want it to override the 93 minutes before that, in which we were quality.
"I thought we had enough to score before we did. The game showed we are capable but we know we probably have to give more going to their stadium. We are capable of doing it but we will need to be at our very best.
"It is my job to try and pick them up. We have unfortunately had to do that a few times this season but our strength of character should never be in doubt. We will be ready by the time the next game comes around.
"We believe in ourselves and our capability and we have shown that today."
Anthony Gordon & Joelinton anger
Following the late equaliser, tempers flared between Newcastle duo Anthony Gordon and Joelinton.
Gordon conceded possession in the closing stages by attempting to release Sandro Tonali before Barcelona won the penalty.
When asked about the conflict, Howe said: “It's sort of a little bit unclear to me quite what happened. So sometimes you sort of don't get the fixed picture. So I need to see it again before sort of giving you my opinion.
“But certainly as a team, we should have done better. We defended so well for the game, all through the game in different phases. The goal seemed soft.
“I remember as the ball went through the middle of us and it should never have happened at that stage of the game.”
Howe added: “When we wake up tomorrow, I think we'll see all the positives rather than the negatives. The tie is very much alive. We've played really well. We've shown our qualities.
“We've been really competitive. As I said, the challenge for us is we need more of it on a consistent basis. That's easier said than done. But I think we've shown that we can play against the very best when we're at our best.”