The Barcelona fan wanted to see his team play against Newcastle but ended up watching Exeter City’s match against Lincoln City instead
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The Barcelona fan missed watching his side play against Newcastle (Steve Welsh/PA)open image in gallery
The Barcelona fan missed watching his side play against Newcastle (Steve Welsh/PA) (PA Wire)
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A Barcelona fan’s Champions League dream took an unexpected turn this week when a navigation error led him 366 miles away from his team’s crucial match.
The supporter, who had travelled from London, intended to watch Barcelona face Newcastle United in the first leg of their last-16 tie at St James’ Park on Tuesday night, but instead found himself at the gates of third-tier club Exeter City’s St James Park.
The significant mix-up only became apparent when he presented his ticket to staff at the Devon ground.
Rather than simply turning him away, compassionate Exeter City personnel offered him a ticket to their League One fixture against Lincoln City.
The Barcelona fan went to Exeter’s St James Park by mistakeopen image in gallery
The Barcelona fan went to Exeter’s St James Park by mistake (Getty Images)
Adam Spencer, Exeter City’s Supporter Experience Officer, recounted the incident: "One of our volunteers came to the office to let us know that this guy had turned up expecting to see FC Barcelona. His English wasn't great, but from what we could gather, he'd come from London."
Spencer speculated on the cause of the error, adding: "My guess is he'd put St James Park in his phone and then just followed the directions from there.
“He was pretty gutted and a bit embarrassed. So, we sorted him out a ticket and he got to watch a game at the real St James Park. He'd be welcome back any time."
While the Spanish fan watched the home side succumb to a 1-0 defeat against league leaders Lincoln City, Barcelona managed to secure a 1-1 draw in Newcastle.
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The Spanish giants had looked set to slump to a surprise defeat after Harvey Barnes gave Newcastle the lead with just four minutes remaining.
However, Barcelona were handed a lifeline deep into stoppage time when Malick Thiaw tripped Dani Olmo inside the penalty area.
Lamine Yamal stepped up to send his spot-kick past Aaron Ramsdale to earn Barcelona a draw.