UEFA Cup/FC Basel 2; Newcastle 3: Mining is supposed to be extinct as a profession on Tyneside, but Newcastle United showed some traditional skills to dig themselves out of a big hole last night.
That the hole was of their own making will surprise no one, but after twice dredging up equalisers to compensate for poor defending, Shola Ameobi scored a 75th-minute winner that should mean Newcastle are still interested in the UEFA Cup when its third round arrives next February. The second leg comes before that, of course.
Laurent Robert, mining a thick seam of form, should be a key figure at St James' if he shows the appetite for work he displayed here. Robert scored Newcastle's first equaliser to cancel a screamer from Mario Cantaluppi and provided the corner from which Titus Bramble equalised again in a frantic first half.
Robert's goal was his fourth in five games. Bobby Robson will now want Robert to look like a £10 million player on Sunday at Chelsea.
The bizarre flurry that opened the game was vintage Newcastle. Leaving aside the three goals scored by the 17th minute, there were other chances missed - by Alan Shearer and Bramble at one end, and by Hakan Yakin and Christian Gimenez at the other.
So there were warnings. But in the 11th minute Jermaine Jenas, who gingerly went through a fitness test minutes before kick-off, cleared weakly from another Basel attack.
Punishment was swift. Jenas could only watch as Cantaluppi sent a 25-yard first-time shot flying back and into Shay Given's top corner. No goalkeeper could have stopped it.
Defensively, Newcastle were wobbling, but moving forward they were more assured. Within minutes of Cantaluppi's strike Shola Ameobi found Robert charging into space down the left and the Frenchman reached the Basel area and drilled the ball low past the goalkeeper.
With their precious away goal in the bag, Newcastle decided to give Basel the lead again. Another slack clearance, this time from Andy O'Brien, left Scott Chipperfield free to shoot from 18 yards and the ball appeared to deflect off Jenas as it sped past Given.
Newcastle were keen to counter and, eight minutes before half-time, Bramble brought the scores level again, lashing in a Robert corner that was badly cleared by the Basel defence.
Remarkably, given the ding-dong nature of the first half, the second was almost devoid of incident. Basel lost their earlier rhythm - symbolically playmaker Yakin was taken off - and, when a pass from Thimothee Atouba was intercepted by Nolberto Solano, Ameobi was soon on his way to the winner.
The 22 year-old had work to do but he held off Marco Zwyssig, rounded him and scored through the legs of Pascal Zuberbuhler.
BASEL: Zuberbuhler, Philipp Degen, Murat Yakin, Zwyssig, Atouba, Huggel, Cantaluppi, Chipperfield, Hakan Yakin (Rossi 60), Gimenez (Barberis 82), Streller. Subs Not Used: Quennoz, Ze Maria, Rapo, David Degen, Smiljanic. Booked: Philipp Degen. Goals: Cantaluppi 11, Chipperfield 15.
NEWCASTLE: Given, Hughes, O'Brien, Bramble, Bernard, Solano (Ambrose 85), Jenas, Speed, Robert (Viana 90), Shearer, Ameobi. Subs Not Used: Harper, Stephen Caldwell, Dabizas, LuaLua, Chopra. Goals: Robert 14, Bramble 37, Ameobi 75.
Referee: Tom Ovrebo (Norway).
