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There was no doubt over who Newcastle United’s Player of the Match was against Barcelona - and it wasn’t Harvey Barnes.
Four minutes of stoppage time were added, but it was in the 95th minute when Italian referee Marco Guida awarded Barca a penalty after Dani Olmo made the most of a light touch from Malick Thiaw.
Yamal then stepped up to break Newcastle hearts. The Magpies thought they had found a winner 10 minutes earlier when Harvey Barnes got on the end of Jacob Murphy’s cross in the 86th minute.
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Newcastle United 1-1 Barcelona: Harvey Barnes awarded Player of the Match
And it was Barnes who was awarded the Player of the Match award after impressing the UEFA Technical Observers the most.
Explaining their pick, the UEFA Technical Observer Group said: "He displayed clever tactical positioning in both defence and attack, consistently threatening Barcelona's back line with his runs, which eventually resulted in the opening goal."
But what about Lewis Hall?
Take nothing away from Barnes, who would have written himself into the Newcastle history books had the scoreline remained at 1-0, but there was one player who UEFA criminally overlooked: Lewis Hall.
Yamal may have had the final say with his late penalty but barely got a sniff otherwise after being pocketed by Hall. Most of the talk pre-match was Yamal this and Yamal that, but Hall showed exactly why he is regarded by many as the best young left-back in England, and now Europe also.
“I'd agree with that,” Howe replied when asked if it was a ‘coming of age’ performance for Hall. “I think defensively first, very, very good. He was helped by his team, some players around him gave really strong performances as well.
“But I think he should take a lot of confidence from that out of possession and then in possession. Yeah, he showed his qualities as well. He pushed him back. He attacked really well and showed his qualities the other way.
“I thought it was an outstanding performance from him, as it was a number of the lads.”
How is the UEFA Player of the Match decided?
So, that begs the question, how is the player of the match decided?
Well, it is chosen by the UEFA Technical Observers, who, for the 2025-26 campaign, include Rafa Benítez, Roberto Martínez, Gaizka Mendieta, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, Gareth Southgate, Frank de Boer, Avram Grant and Aitor Karanka.
“When making their choices, they must consider which players have made an outstanding contribution in some or all of the following ways: by playing with exceptional skill in attack or defence; playing a part in decisive actions in attack or defence; displaying tactical maturity and efficiency; and playing with a positive and respectful attitude.”
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