Alex Grimaldo scored late to deny Newcastle United a Champions League comeback win at Bayer Leverkusen in a 2-2 draw at the BayArena.
The visitors showed strong resilience after falling behind to a 13th-minute Bruno Guimaraes own goal at the BayArena. Anthony Gordon equalised from the penalty spot six minutes into the second half before setting up 19-year-old substitute Lewis Miley, who headed home his first Champions League goal.
But Newcastle’s hopes of securing all three points vanished in the 88th minute when Grimaldo finished calmly inside the box after a flowing Leverkusen move.
It marked the second consecutive week in which Eddie Howe’s side dropped points late, following last weekend’s stoppage-time equaliser conceded against Tottenham Hotspur in the Premier League.
Newcastle were fortunate to trail by just a single goal at the break, but their second-half reaction was immediate and energetic. They capitalised when Bayer Leverkusen goalkeeper Mark Flekken gifted the Magpies a penalty after hesitating in possession and then fouling Nick Woltemade inside the area.
Gordon stepped up and confidently sent Flekken the wrong way, securing his third penalty goal in as many matches.
The winger came close to giving Newcastle the lead moments later when his left-footed strike clipped the post, before he turned provider for Miley’s 74th-minute header, which made the teenager the club’s youngest scorer in the competition.
However, Newcastle could not protect their advantage, with Grimaldo’s late strike leaving Howe’s men 12th in the standings and frustrated once again by a last-minute setback.
