|
|
Main Page
Quick
Links
Fixtures
Reports
Players
Transfers
Rumours
Table
Stats
Reserves
Academy
The
Rest
Archives
Club info
Fanzines
Last Season
SJP
Unlikely Lads
A-Z Index
Feyenoord (a) CL Group Match 6
Date: Wednesday 13th November 2002, 8.45pm (7.45pm BST). Venue: De Kuip, Rotterdam Conditions: Perfect |
|
| Feyenoord | 2 - 3 | Newcastle United |
| Half time: | 0 - 1 | |
 |
||
| Score Sheet: | ||
Bombarda (65)
Lurling (71)
|
Bellamy (45) Viana (49) Bellamy (90)
| |
|
||
 |
Teams |
 |
|
Lodewijks Gyan Rzasa Van Wonderen Paauwe Emerton Buffel Bosvelt Song Lurling Kalou |
Given Hughes Griffin Dabizas O'Brien Jenas Dyer Speed Shearer Bellamy Viana | |
|
||
| Substitutes: | ||
| (52) Bombarda for Song | Bernard for Viana (83) | |
| Subs not used: | ||
|
L'Ami Collen De Haan Van Persie Pardo Loovens |
Harper Solano Acuna LuaLua Ameobi Caldwell |
|
| Bookings: | ||
|
Paauwe Bomabarda |
Griffin (69) Bellamy (87) | |
| Sendings off: | ||
| None | None | |
| Referee: Franz-Xaver Wack (Biberbach). A dentist, apparently. | ||
| Attendance:
48,500 including around 3,000 Toon fans. One sadly misguided mackem who brought his Seaburn Casual Firm bedsheet with him and stood in the home end. One could hardly blame him - that's the nearest to the Champions League they'll get. No major disorder was reported, but there were some scuffles at the station apparently involving West Ham fans and police prevented some laying on of hands in the Oude Haven drinking area. Oh and a fight on an official club trip, but that never happened.
|
||
|
Goals |
45 mins An
Alan Shearer flick found Craig Bellamy tightly marked in the box by
Paauwe, but he was able to shake off the defender and stroke the ball past
Lodewijks into the opposite corner of the goal.
The striker's goal celebration
included a foul-mouthed tirade of abuse directed at home fans towards
the corner flag, who presumably had voiced opinions about him earlier 1-0
Half time: Feyenoord 0 Newcastle 1
49 mins An
excellent flowing move found Dyer in space down the right. He was quickly closed
down by defenders but spotted Hugo Viana in space on the left edge of the box and chipped a
lovely ball to him.
He took a controlling touch before hitting a firm shot with the
outside of his left boot into the far corner of the goal. Goalkeeper
Lodewijks got fingers to the shot but was unable to keep it out 2-0
65 mins Substitute Mariano Bombarda was played in through the middle by Kalou and tucked the ball past a helpless Given from 15 yards. 2-1
71 mins Kieron Dyer gave the ball away with a weak header and Anthony Lurling crashed home a Kalou pass from the edge of the box. When the ball was played forward the linesman kept his flag down despite a home player (not Lurling) standing offside. 2-2
90 mins
A punt forward from Nicos Dabizas was flicked on by Shearer to Dyer and with
a lovely feint he was through on goal. He opted to place the
ball to the keeper's left and Lodewijks was able to tip the ball away but
became grounded in the process.
Time then stood
still as the ball trickled to the side with Craig Bellamy favourite to get there
first. The Welshman hit a firm shot that hit the scrambling keeper on the legs and
went inside the near post to spark scenes of unbridled joy around the
Toon-supporting globe. 3-2
Full time: Feyenoord 2 Newcastle 3
|
We Said |
Sir Bobby
said:
When asked whether it was his greatest night as Newcastle boss:
"I thought the way we played against Juventus was a great night - if we hadn't won that night, we would have been here to do that, so yes, I guess it is.
"I think it's the first time this have ever happened, so I suppose we've created a bit of history. Not many people gave us a chance.
"We never gave it up but we didn't think we'd get nine points from three games, so it's worked out wonderfully well, and Juventus have done us a great job.
"I'm pretty ecstatic - but I'm pretty numb as well. It's hard to believe we've won it in the end, although at one stage, we were comfortably winning it and looking as though it wouldn't be too much of a problem for us.
"I heard at one stage it was 1-1
in Kiev, but this game had too much in it for me to think about another
game. I couldn't take in two games at the same time, so I gave that one
up. We heard the score from Kiev in the dressing room, and they were
ecstatic."
On the returning hero Craig Bellamy:
"He hasn't played for three and a
half weeks. I thought he just might give us that last 20-yard surge to
give us a goal,"
"Had they scored to make it 3-2 they would have gone through. In
fact, with 15 minutes to go there was only one team that was going to win
it - and that was Feyenoord."
Bellamy himself commented:
"I have missed three games in the Champions League
down to my own stupidity. But I got my opportunity last night and I've
also got my dream. As long as my knee holds out, which I am confident it
will do, I will be involved in some great games in the Champions League
and have more nights like this.
"I knew I was always going to get chances because Alan Shearer was pinning down their two central defenders as they couldn't handle his physical presence. As far as my winner is concerned, I thought Kieron Dyer was going to put it in and once the keeper parried the ball, it could have gone anywhere.
"But it went within distance of the goal, and as soon as it came out I knew I had a good chance of scoring. Obviously, it went well for me but I have worked hard to come back for this competition.
"It is a competition I have always wanted to play in because it is the highest level you can play in club football. We have qualified by right and because we were the second best side in the group. It doesn't matter how you've done it - whether you win the first three or lose the first three like we did."
"Feyenoord are a great side and it was a great
occasion. I knew that it was going to be the biggest game of them all and
that the fans were going to make it special. Obviously, it was a great
occasion for me, but it has been an even greater occasion for Newcastle
and their fans and that is the most important thing."
Finally Sir John Hall reluctantly said a few words to the Chronicle
:
"What has happened in the Champions' League is another giant step
forward in the progress of Newcastle United. And really it puts into
context what has been happening at the club for the last 10 years.
"We now have a stadium which is second to none in Europe and a team which is being rebuilt, and because it has youth on its side the best is yet to come.
"Our financial structure is sound under Freddy Shepherd and my son Douglas, and the Academy and training pitches are like our stadium - second to none. And I must say that every genuine Newcastle United fan should be rubbing their hands as they look to the future.
"If this is not progress and
achievement I wonder what we have to do. Yet there are still some people
out there who remain critical of the board.
"Freddy kept telling me the prime minister of Holland was sitting
behind me and that he couldn't see every time I jumped up. But the prime
minister and all his bodyguards jumped up when Feyenoord scored and so too
did myself and Freddy when Craig Bellamy grabbed our winner.
"To tell the truth, I couldn't
take more drama like that but as an exiled Geordie I would like to say
well done to Freddy, Bobby and, more importantly, to the players."
Final word to Juventus vice-president Roberto Bettega:
"We promised we would help Newcastle United and we did."
|
They Said |
Coach Bert Van Marwijk said :
"We had problems with Shearer and
Bellamy. Newcastle always look first for Shearer, and that's how they
scored their first. I was dreaming of the second stage. I thought we had
done enough and were going to win it.
"I agree it was a fantastic match but we have nothing to show from
it. We responded well but In the end it was not enough. It is hard
to take it as we were so close to the Champions League and ended
eliminated."
|
Match Stats |
Our sixth "proper"
Champions League away game and a first victory on foreign soil after
failure in Kiev, Eindhoven, Barcelona and Turin plus a stalemate in Kiev.
And after 14 games in total in the competition (including
qualifiers) our record remains intact - we've never lost when we've
scored, always lost when we haven't. Which is a daft way of saying we've
never had a scoreless draw.
Our top scorer in the competition remains Tino Asprilla with four,
then John Beresford with three (or four if you count the og in
Kiev, which he does) but Bellamy, Viana, Dyer and Shearer
are hard on their heels with two each.
|
Waffle |
An even more fragmented waffle than usual, but in keeping with a night that virtually defies description. If you were there, it will live in your mind until your own personal final whistle.
Of course we never doubted that we'd make it.............ahem...... but
when we wrote:
"Still playing, still hoping, still fighting. Toon, Toon"
after the first victory against Juventus we didn't honestly believe that a
magical night in Rotterdam (and Kiev) would open the gates to more
Champions League wonderment.
But it did, partly thanks to a young man: villain turned hero Bellamy and
an old lady: the second choice team of the Turin black and whites.
Memories of the game are hazy (and that's without a drop of ale pre-match)
but revolve round alternate highs and lows of emotion, interspersed with
mental games of settling for the UEFA spot and Geller-esque attempts to
alter the course of a football match being played far away in the Ukraine.
With some success by the look of it.
Goals scored, celebrations. Goals conceded, sickness to the pit of the
stomach. Rousing choruses of toon anthems at some points, incredulous
silence at others. Strident Dutch voices, mad women banging on perspex
screens, toon fans singing "Juve, Juve", hugging strangers,
manic grins. These are a few of my favourite Feyenoord things.
How does one possibly try and compare this to any other game? Short
answer - you don't. But always up for a challenge we'll have a go:
Taking the last proper trophy win as a starting point, our subsequent
glory days come down to these ten in my fevered mind:
1973/74: Burnley (a) 2-0 Supermac seals it
1991/92: Portsmouth (h) 1-0 David Kelly
1991/92: Leicester (a) 2-1 Staying up!
1992/93: mackems (a) 2-1 Liam, Liam O
1992/93: Grimsby (a) 2-0 Going Up!
1992/93: Leicester (h) 7-1 Andy, Andy Cole x 28,000.
1995/96: Leeds (a) 1-0 Love it, Just Love it. Dare to believe.
1996/97: Forest (h) 5-0 farewell mackems & smoggies, hello Europe!
1997/98: Barcelona (h) 3-2 Tino Tino Tino!
1998/99: Spurs (a) 2-0 Shearer semi success
The common thread linking all of these games is of course that we won, and
that the emotion of those days has implanted itself in the collective
memory of those present.
For many of those days though, that was as good as it got. Wembley misery
and Nou Camp nightmares.
And to be honest, when Feyenoord squared it, this game was starting to
resemble the nights at Ewood Park and the City Ground when the title
slipped from our grasp. Or it would have done if i'd been able to think
straight in the emotional tumble dryer that was the away end of De Kuip.
That modern day instrument of torture, the text-message enabled mobile
phone relayed hopes, dreams and despair round the globe to said away end
on a second by second basis. Bristol City, Leeds, Celtic, Carlisle and Man
City fans - all following our progress and chipping in from all over the
world with encouraging words and score updates from the Ukraine.
(Mark my words, when the inevitable RSI comes I'll sue every last one
of you).
It might only be temporary but for one night at least, we once again
became everyone's second favourite team again. There was something in the
air, and it infected the faithful and non-believers alike, from the States
to those in a state.
Kevin Keegan no doubt arched an eyebrow somewhere, while miserable Kenny
was probably at home counting his money. Best of all, Rudi was actually
watching in the stadium and praising a Shearer-led Toon team through the
grittiest of teeth.
Meanwhile Didi Hamann sat with his fingers in his ears chanting "we
luv the UEFA Cup yeah yeah yeah" in a hybrid scouse/jorman
brogue. Probably.
And in the Rotterdam night sky above the flare of floodlights, the ghost
of Joe Harvey probably lit a tab (if Heaven isn't now a smoke-free
zone) and had a hearty chuckle at the sheer wonderfulness and glorious
madness of it all. The boys of 69 won the trophy, but they never quite
came back from the footballing equivalent of being six foot under with the lid bolted down.
There is no other club like this. Thankfully.
Who knows what outrageous highs and lows await in Spain, Germany and Italy? Geordies back to Barca, back in the San Siro and duelling with the boys from the BayArena.
We don't know where it will end. Don't even try to predict it, just
enjoy it.
"Still playing, still hoping, still fighting. Toon, Toon"
Wey Aye!
Biffa