The Catalans had to withstand Newcastle’s attacks and were able to secure a good result for the second leg.
FC Barcelona arrived in England after narrowly beating Athletic Bilbao and being on the verge of coming back from behind against Atlético Madrid in the Copa del Rey semi-final. Newcastle lost to Manchester City in the FA Cup but ended Manchester United’s new manager unbeaten run in the Premier League with a 2-1 win.
During the first few minutes of the match, it was clear that the balance was going to be in favor of the home side. The Magpies were the team with the most chances in the first half, and Barça had to hold on at the back, even clearing balls off the line, such as Tonali’s shot that was cleared by the Barcelona defense in front of goal.
Although the Blaugranas had more possession, the speed of the English team’s wingers and the suffocating pressure from Joelinton and Tonali meant that the 0-0 score at halftime was a small victory for the visitors.
The second half kicks off
During the second half, Newcastle was able to put more pressure on Barcelona. The English team had 11 shots on Joan GarcÃa’s goal, while Barcelona only managed four.
The team from the north of England pressed harder on Joan GarcÃa’s goal in the second half, so much so that they had a goal disallowed after a great combination between the Newcastle attackers, which was finished off by Joelinton in an offside position.
Finally,  Aftertheir persistence was rewarded in the 86th minute. another quick combination from Newcastle, Jacob Murphy sent in a cross that, thanks to a lapse by Araújo, Harvey Barnes finished from close range, practically unmarked, to make it 1-0 in what looked like the winning goal.
During the final minutes of the match, FC Barcelona pressed harder than they had for the rest of the game in an attempt to get a more favorable result in Barcelona.
In the 96th minute, a tackle on Dani Olmo, who was trying to dribble past four Newcastle players, gave Barcelona a penalty and a golden opportunity to level the tie. Lamine sent the penalty into the back of the net to make it 1-1. A draw that feels like a victory for Barcelona fans.
The second leg will be played on March 18 at the Camp Nou, where the Catalans will look to play better than they did in England and comfortably win the tie, as they have already shown they can do at home.
Who do you think will go trough, FC Barcelona or Newcastle United?