Joelinton and Anthony Gordon of Newcastle United react after Lamine Yamal of FC Barcelona (not pictured) scores his team's first goal during the UEFA Champions League 2025/26 Round of 16 First Leg match between Newcastle United FC and FC Barcelona at St James' Park on March 10, 2026 in Newcastle upon Tyne, England. (Photo by Stu Forster/Getty Images)placeholder image
Joelinton and Anthony Gordon of Newcastle United react after Lamine Yamal of FC Barcelona (not pictured) scores his team's first goal during the UEFA Champions League 2025/26 Round of 16 First Leg match between Newcastle United FC and FC Barcelona at St James' Park on March 10, 2026 in Newcastle upon Tyne, England. (Photo by Stu Forster/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Newcastle United were held to a 1-1 draw by Barcelona in their Champions League last-16 first-leg tie.
Harvey Barnes looked set to seal a famous win for the Magpies when he broke the deadlock in the 86th minute after getting on the end of Jacob Murphy’s cross.
Four minutes of stoppage time had passed when Malick Thiaw conceded a penalty for a trip on Dani Olmo. Lamine Yamal then stepped up to send goalkeeper Aaron Ramsdale the wrong way.
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Joelinton confronts Anthony Gordon after Newcastle United’s draw v Barcelona
In the build-up to referee Marco Guida awarding the spot-kick, Anthony Gordon conceded possession when he tried to release Sandro Tonali down the right.
After Yamal scored and Guida blew for full-time, Joelinton made his feelings known to Gordon.
Asked about the confrontation, Eddie Howe said: “I haven't seen the goal again and it's sort of a little bit unclear to me quite what happened. Sometimes you sort of don't get the fixed picture, so I'd need to see it again before sort of giving you my opinion.
Joelinton and Anthony Gordon of Newcastle United react after Lamine Yamal of FC Barcelona (not pictured) scores his team's first goal during the UEFA Champions League 2025/26 Round of 16 First Leg match between Newcastle United FC and FC Barcelona at St James' Park on March 10, 2026 in Newcastle upon Tyne, England. (Photo by Stu Forster/Getty Images)placeholder image
Joelinton and Anthony Gordon of Newcastle United react after Lamine Yamal of FC Barcelona (not pictured) scores his team's first goal during the UEFA Champions League 2025/26 Round of 16 First Leg match between Newcastle United FC and FC Barcelona at St James' Park on March 10, 2026 in Newcastle upon Tyne, England. (Photo by Stu Forster/Getty Images) | Getty Images
“But certainly as a team, we should have done better. We defended so well for the game all through the game and in different phases. The goal seemed soft. I remember as the ball went through the middle of us and it should never happen at that stage of the game.”
‘Tough to take’ - Eddie Howe on Barcelona’s late equaliser v Newcastle United
Not only did it deny Newcastle their first win over Barcelona since 1997, but it also means the tie is level as opposed to United taking the lead into next week’s second-leg at the Camp Nou.
Howe said: “I think [it was] really good performance from the team. Very, very good in all phases really. I thought we limited them with a really good defensive performance from the team and I thought we attacked really well too.
“Although we didn't create an abundance of clear-cut chances, I thought there were chances all through the game for us. Great to see us finally score and then, yeah, I mean, the last attack of the game, the last kick of the game. That's a tough one to take.
“When the cold light of day, when we wake up tomorrow, I think we'll see all the positives rather than negatives. The tie is very much alive. We played really well. I think 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.”
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