Yamal's late penalty rescues Barca from St. James' Park trenches

Barcelona were on the ropes, seconds away from a disastrous Champions League loss to Newcastle United. And it would have been more than deserved.

But fate, and Lamine Yamal, changed everything.

Newcastle, sitting 11th in the Premier League, outplayed the defending La Liga champions. Still, their strong performance was not enough for a win, as the dramatic match at St. James' Park finished 1-1.

Interestingly, the match was close to ending goalless before the late drama. Eddie Howe's team showed courage and endurance against a strong opponent but could not score earlier, even with some great chances.

Elanga had a great chance in the first half, and in the second half, Barnes hit the right post. Joelinton scored on the rebound, but the goal was correctly ruled out for offside.

Meanwhile, Barcelona looked out of sorts for most of the game and struggled to play their usual style.

The attacking trio of Yamal, Lewandowski, and Raphinha could not make an impact. Lewandowski did have a good chance for a tap-in late in the second half, but his shot went wide of the left post.

Apart from that, Barcelona did not look like their usual selves, likely because of Howe's tactics.

His players controlled the midfield and dominated much of the game, but they could not score until the last 10 minutes.

Then, suddenly, Harvey Barnes was left unmarked deep in the box. Raphinha did not track him, and Barnes scored the surprising opening goal to make it 1-0.

The roar of the home crowd was intimidating and the Spanish giants had only a few minutes left to restore their dignity and chances of reaching the next stage of the elite competition.

Dani Olmo stormed into the rival's box, and Malick Tchaw’s clumsy challenge resulted in a penalty.

Lamine Yamal took the penalty and calmly scored to quiet the Newcastle fans, making the score even before the final 90 minutes at Camp Nou next Wednesday. With the away-goal rule gone, the outcome is still wide open. Get ready for an exciting finish.

UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE - ROUND OF 16

Tuesday

Galatasaray - Liverpool 1-0 (1-0)

/Lemina 7/

Atalanta - Bayern Munich 1-6 (0-3)

/Pasalic 90+3 - Stanisic 12, Olise 22, 64, Gnabry 25, Jackson 52, Musiala 67/

Atletico Madrid - Tottenham 5-2 (4-1)

/Llorente 6, Griezmann 14, Alvarez 15, 55, Le Normand 22 - Porro 26, Solanke 76/

Newcastle - Barcelona 1-1 (0-0)

/Barnes 86 - Yamal 90+6 pen/

Wednesday

20.45: (5.65) Leverkusen (4.30) Arsenal (1.62)

23.00: (2.60) Bodo (3.80) Sporting (2.65)

23.00: (2.00) PSG (3.60) Chelsea (4.00)

23.00: (3.50) Real Madrid (3.90) Man.City (2.05)

***odds are subject to change***