In the first leg of the 2025/26 UEFA Champions League round of 16, English club Newcastle United and Spanish club Barcelona drew. The match at St. James' Park ended in a hard-fought 1-1 draw. This was reported by UNN.
Details
During the first half, neither team managed to score. Despite active attacks, the goalkeepers of both clubs kept their nets "clean."
The denouement came at the end of the game. In the 86th minute, the hosts opened the scoring – winger Harvey Barnes scored, putting the English club ahead.
However, the Catalans managed to salvage a draw in injury time. In the 90+6th minute, young talent Lamine Yamal converted a penalty kick, setting the final score at 1-1.
According to match statistics, Newcastle players had more shots on goal – 16 against 10 for their opponent (on target – 5:3). At the same time, Barcelona controlled the ball slightly more – 54% against 46%. In terms of passes, the Catalans also had a slight advantage (327 against 317), while the teams' passing accuracy was almost identical – 81% for the visitors and 82% for the hosts.
In addition, the "Magpies" committed more fouls (13 fouls against 9), and the referee showed two yellow cards to the English club's players and one to the Spanish team's players.
The return leg between Barcelona and Newcastle United will take place on March 18 at Camp Nou in Barcelona. The match kicks off at 19:45 Kyiv time.
The winner of this tie will play against the stronger team from the Atlético Madrid — Tottenham Hotspur pair in the quarterfinals of the tournament.