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By Goli Innocent
Lamine Yamal struck a dramatic stoppage-time penalty to rescue a 1–1 draw for FC Barcelona against Newcastle United in the first leg of their UEFA Champions League round-of-16 clash at St James’ Park.
Newcastle looked set for a memorable victory after Harvey Barnes fired the hosts ahead in the 86th minute with a first-time finish from Jacob Murphy’s cross, sending the home crowd into celebration.
However, the visitors were handed a lifeline deep into stoppage time when substitute Dani Olmo was brought down in the penalty area by Malick Thiaw, prompting the referee to award a spot-kick.
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Up stepped Yamal, who calmly sent goalkeeper Aaron Ramsdale the wrong way to level the score in the 96th minute and stun the home fans.
The late equaliser ensured the Spanish giants avoided taking a deficit into the second leg, despite being largely contained for much of the contest.
Newcastle had matched Barcelona’s intensity throughout the night and appeared moments away from defeating the five-time European champions before the late drama.
Both teams will now shift their focus to the return leg at Camp Nou next week, where the tie remains finely balanced after the dramatic draw in England.
