Champions League: Newcastle feels like a missed opportunity after Barcelona’s late strike

However, there is a reason why Newcastle have not been able to keep a clean sheet since January.

Although Raphinha was 35 yards from goal in the final seconds of the game, substitute Joe Willock did not get close enough to the former Leeds United striker.

The Brazilian got the second goal he needed to look up and pass to Dani Olmo which, somehow, took a handful of struggling Newcastle players out of the game.

Olmo raced into the box and a terrified Malik Thiaw stuck out his leg, leaving referee Gueda no choice when he pointed to the spot.

There was silence at St James’ Park for the first time all night.

“It was a great announcement for us as a football club on and off the field, but I feel very sad for everyone that we couldn’t get the win we all deserved,” Howe said.

“That’s football for you. It never romanticizes it. It does what it does and now we have to dust ourselves off and take the positives from the performance and try to achieve that on a more consistent basis.”

Newcastle felt similar pain at home after conceding two stoppage-time goals to Liverpool and Arsenal earlier this season, and a late equalizer at the hands of Tottenham Hotspur.

However, it was interesting that those fans who stayed behind on Tuesday night applauded their players off the field as they tried to lift them up.

This encounter is far from over, even if it will require a herculean effort from Newcastle at the Nou Camp next week.

Howe felt in the “cold light of day” that his team would see such positives after showing that it was capable of competing with the best.

Barnes remained similarly optimistic.

He added: “It will be a different match at their stadium, but we know what we can do and we know when we are at our level how well we can play.”

He added: “What a feeling we would have had if we had gone 1-0 ahead, but we are equal in the confrontation and we are playing for that.”