By Dan Moffat and John Keogan
On Tuesday, Newcastle take on Qarabag in the Champions League second-leg knockout phase, which will be the Magpies’ 150th European match.
The first European game the club featured in was the Inter-Cities Fairs Cup in 1968-69 against Feyenoord.
Newcastle would go on to win the competition that year, beating Hungarian side Ujpest FC in a two-legged final.
As the lads prepare for the milestone game, we rank Newcastle’s top five Champions League games so far.
5. Inter Milan 2-2 Newcastle, 2003
Newcastle’s reward after finishing second in that season’s first group stage, containing Juventus, Dynamo Kyiv and Feyenoord, was the ‘group of death’ against Bayer Leverkusen, Barcelona and Inter Milan.
In the penultimate group game, the Geordies travelled to the San Siro to face the Nerazzurri.
Captain Alan Shearer gave Newcastle the lead just before the break, converting a Craig Bellamy pass with a close-range finish.
The lead was short-lived, however, as Inter’s own powerhouse striker Christian Vieri pulled one back two minutes after the interval.
But just two minutes later, Shearer gave Newcastle the lead once again, latching onto a mistake by Inter keeper Francesco Toldo with another finish from just outside the 6 yard box.
The image of Shearer, arms aloft, in front of 15,000 Newcastle fans in the San Siro would go on to become one of the enduring images of his ten-year career with his boyhood club.
Colombian international Ivan Cordoba’s 61st-minute equaliser denied The Magpies a vital three points, which eventually saw them knocked out of the competition, but Newcastle held their own that evening against a European powerhouse.
4. Newcastle 1-0 Juventus, 2002
A star-studded Juventus team, boasting the talents of Gianluigi Buffon, Lilian Thuram, Paulo Nedved and Alessandro Del Piero travelled to St James Park in October 2002.
Juve legend Del Piero had downed The Mapgies in the reverse fixture in Turin a few weeks earlier, meaning Newcastle had lost their first three games in the first group stage of the competition, a position from which no team had ever qualified to the second group stage.
It was an evenly contested affair up until the hour mark, when Andy Griffin became the unlikliest of heroes, as his cross-cum-shot was deflected into the Juventus net by Buffon.
Nerves began to build as the clock counted down. The Old Lady substitute Marcelo Zalayeta nearly broke the hearts of Magpie fans as his late effort struck the crossbar, but Newcastle saw the game out and went on to defeat Dynamo Kyiv in their next fixture, setting up a showdown with Feyenoord in Rotterdam.
3. Newcastle 4-1 Paris Saint-Germain, 2023
After 14 turbulent years under the ownership of Mike Ashley, Newcastle were finally back in the big time, as they faced one of Europe’s biggest clubs, PSG.
The visitors brought with them some of the biggest names from European football: Gianluigi Donnarumma, Achraf Hakimi, Kylian Mbappe and current Ballon d’Or winner, Ousmane Dembele.
If Eddie Howe and his team were going to get three points, they would need to put in one of the best performances St James Park had seen, and that’s exactly what happened.
Miguel Almiron’s opener took the roof off, and Dan Burn gave the Magpies a 2-0 lead before the break following a tense VAR check, before fellow Geordie Sean Longstaff added a third five minutes into the second half.
Lucas Hernandez would get one back for the away team, before Fabian Schar’s fourth goal was the pick of the bunch, as the marauding centre-back unleashed a curling effort from 25 yards past a stranded Donnarumma. Magnifique.
2. Feyenoord 2-3 Newcastle, 2002
Newcastle headed to Rotterdam in a must-win game. If they were to advance to the second group, their task was simple.
Win the game.
After losing their first three games of the group, it looked like the Champions League campaign was over, but beating Juventus and Dynamo Kyiv in the reverse fixtures provided them a lifeline.
Craig Bellamy and Hugo Viana gave Newcastle a 2-0 lead, but with twenty minutes to go, the game was level thanks to Mariano Bombarda and Anthony Lurling.
With the game ticking towards full time, Newcastle needed a hero.
Enter Craig Bellamy.
The Welsh forward latched on to Kieran Dyer’s saved effort and was able to convert from a tight angle in stoppage time, sending the travelling fans into pandemonium.
Newcastle made history by becoming the first side to qualify for the next phase after losing their first three group matches.
Following the result, Sir Bobby Robson claimed this game was his finest moment.
1. Newcastle 3-2 Barcelona, 1997
You never forget your first.
Newcastle may have missed out on the 1996/97 Premier League title, but their prize for finishing second was a maiden voyage in the Champions League.
The Magpies’ first opponents were Spannish giants Barcelona, who travelled to Tyneside in September 1997 featuring a who’s who of modern day legends inlcuding Luis Enrique, Luis Figo and Rivaldo.
Just a few weeks earlier, Newcastle had sold stars Les Ferdinand and David Ginola in pre-season, and star man Alan Shearer picked up a serious ankle injury that would rule him out for six months.
It was a tall order for Newcastle, who were without the strike partnership that had bagged 49 goals the previous season. Fortunately, they had Faustino Asprilla
The enigmatic ‘Tino’ gave Newcastle the lead from the penalty spot in the 22nd minute, having been brought down by Barca keeper Ruud Hesp.
Nine minutes later, it was 2-0, as Asprilla rose perfectly to meet a Keith Gillespie cross, powering a header past the helpless Hesp.
Remarkebly, the Colombian forward completed his hattrick just after the break, with his third goal baring a striking resemblence to his second, as he seemed to hang in the air for an eternity before converting another header from a Gillespie cross.
Enrique got one back with twenty minutes left of the game, and Figo added a second just before the added time to esnure for a tense few minutes at Gallowgate.
But there was not enough time left for the Catalan club, as the whistle went to give Newcastle their first, and most famous Champions League win.
Asprilla was only at Newcastle for two years, but his hat-trick against Barcelona ensured him cult hero status at St. James’ Park.
