A night of European football joy 15 years ago
WAS it really 15 years ago?
If you were tuning into ITV on this night in 2002 or, better still, among the 51,000 crowd at Feyenoord’s De Kuip stadium, you would have witnessed one of Newcastle United’s finest European nights.
It came in the Champions’ League, a competition the Magpies have graced only twice - but memorably on both occasions nonetheless.
If the club’s 1997 flirtation with the cream of the continent was thrilling enough, the 2002-2003 campaign under the wily management of Sir Bobby Robson was even more eventful.
Against the odds, the black and whites managed to progress into the second group stage.
Home wins against Dynamo Kiev and mighty Juventus gave star-struck fans a taste of what it was like to compete, and win, against Europe’s best.
Bayer Leverkusen also rolled into Toon and were destroyed by an Alan Shearer hat-trick, while thousands of Geordies made the trip to the San Siro to see a Shearer brace earn a 2-2 draw against Inter Milan.
The Euro adventure would finally be ended by Barcelona, avenging their 1997 defeat at St James’ with a comfortable 2-0 win on Gallowgate.
Notably, that game in March 2003, featured two brilliant young Barcelona midfielders, Xavi Hernandez and Andrés Iniesta. (Whatever became of those two?)
But, before that game, which proved to be United’s - to date - last hurrah in the Champions’ League, there was the small matter of playing Feyenoord in Holland.
The Dutch giants had won 1-0 at St James’ in September, 2002.
(And on a historical note, they had been United’s first ever European opponents back in September, 1968).
But on this night 15 years ago, a superbly balanced United side featuring the disparate but complementary talents of Shearer, Bellamy, Dyer, Speed and Co triumphed 3-2.
With the game poised at a tense 2-2 (Craig Bellamy and Hugo Viana had put United 2-0 up), few who saw it will forget Craig Bellamy’s last-minute winner as the ball ping-ponged between the Welsh striker, the Feyenoord keeper and into the net.
Afterwards, a delighted Alan Shearer told the Chronicle: “It’s all unbelievable. I cannot say that this is the greatest moment in my career but I cannot remember any better games for sheer excitement and passion.
“It really was an incredible game and I really don’t think I have been involved in one quite like that before.
“And to reach the last 16 of the Champions’ League is a fantastic achievement.”
Those - as they say - were they days.