Feyenoord - 2 Newcastle Utd - 3 A night of seriously dramatic entertainment in a great stadium pulsing with excitement ended in appropriate fashion for Newcastle United when Craig Bellamy scored a 90th-minute winner. The three points were a superb achievement in their own right, but they also brought Newcastle a place in the Champions League second phase as Juventus, to everyone's surprise, won 2-1 in Kiev.
It was fantastic, nail-biting stuff throughout. Two goals up by the 49th minute via crisp efforts from Bellamy and Hugo Viana, Newcastle were coasting before a calamitous six minutes midway through the second half in which Feyenoord scored twice.
First their Argentinian substitute Mariano Bombarda beat Shay Given and then Anthony Lurling volleyed a ripe equaliser. In between, Bellamy had a great chance blocked and suddenly Newcastle's composure was replaced by panic.
Then, with injury-time looming, Kieron Dyer broke through Feyenoord's defence and saw his shot parried. But Bellamy followed up and Newcastle had the most meaningful victory in their recent history.
Robson had said he had hard decisions to make about his line-up but it turned out that Bellamy's recall was not his only dilemma.
The striker was included from the start, but the manager dropped Nolberto Solano last night. Many United watchers consider Solano indispensable to Newcastle's ability to play football at a high tempo. Moves often begin with a give-and-go from the Peruvian.
But it was Solano who made way here, ostensibly so that Robson could accommodate two 19-year-olds in his midfield. Jermaine Jenas filled in where Solano would be normally on the right, while on the other flank Hugo Viana continued in the absence of the injured Laurent Robert.
In a helter-skelter opening five minutes, United almost scored when a long clearance from Given was flicked on by Shearer and Bellamy would surely have scored but for a fine recovery tackle by the defender Christian Gyan.
The tempo slowed thereafter, which suited Newcastle as a draw was enough for them to claim a consolation UEFA Cup place. This enabled both Jenas and Viana to get involved to good purpose and with Bellamy looking dangerously fresh after his enforced lay-off, Newcastle had a creative zest about them.
Despite strikes on goal from both Gary Speed and Viana it was not until nine minutes before half-time that either goalkeeper made a save of note. That came from Feyenoord's Patrick Lodewijks, smothering a poke from Bellamy after the Welshman had been released by an incisive pass from midfield by Dyer.
It prompted an immediate response from the Dutch, Given doing well to steer Thomas Buffel away from goal following a cute pass from Lurling, who then had a curler deflected just wide of Given's left-hand post.
That roused the locals, but they were to be stunned by Bellamy's next intervention on the stroke of half-time after a long free-kick from Given was again nodded on by the imperious Shearer. Bellamy had work to do in holding off Patrick Paauwe, a Dutch international, but he did so and clipped the ball past Lodewijks from the narrowest of angles.
With the half-time news from Kiev that Juventus were at 0-0 with Kiev, the United fans must have thought things could not get much better. But they did. And quickly.
Four minutes into the second half Dyer pillaged the Feyenoord left and their Polish international Tomasz Rzasa. Dyer drifted a cross to the far post to where Viana was hovering with intent. The Portuguese swung his gifted left foot and a diagonal drive beat Lodewijks. Some finish.
But then came those two Feyenoord goals and United's despair - which Bellamy's last-gasp heroics turned to joy. ...
FEYENOORD: Lodewijks, Gyan, Rzasa, Van Wonderen, Paauwe, Emerton, Buffel, Bosvelt, Song (Bombarda 52), Lurling, Kalou. Subs Not Used: L'Ami, Collen, De Haan, Van Persie, Pardo, Loovens. Booked: Paauwe, Bombarda. Goals: Bombarda 65, Lurling 71.
NEWCASTLE: Given, O'Brien, Dabizas, Hughes, Griffin, Dyer, Jenas, Viana (Bernard 83), Speed, Bellamy, Shearer. Subs Not Used: Harper, Solano, Acuna, LuaLua, Ameobi, Caldwell. Booked: Griffin, Bellamy. Goals: Bellamy 45, Viana 49, Bellamy 90.
Referee: Franz-Xaver Wack (Biberbach).
