20 years. That is how long Newcastle United had gone without the glitz and glamour of Champions League football, prior to their return in 2023/24.
They haven’t come all too often in recent times, but St James’ Park is a stadium made for Champions League nights – Football FanCast thought it was worth ranking Newcastle United’s greatest clashes in European football…
5 Newcastle United 1-0 Juventus – 2002-03 Champions League
If you were to ask a Newcastle fan about Andy Griffin, one moment would come to mind. That would, of course, be Griffin’s famous goal against Juventus 20 years ago.
Star-studded players such as Alessandro Del Piero, Gianluigi Buffon and Edgar Davids made the trip to Tyneside, but Griffin was the unlikely hero in a historic win for the Magpies
The full-back, who was never famed for his goalscoring exploits, saw his effort deflect in off Italian legend Buffon to hand Newcastle their first win of their Champions League campaign.
4 Feynoord 2-3 Newcastle United – 2002/03 Champions League
Another Champions League classic from the 2002/03 season saw Craig Bellamy’s last-minute winner make Newcastle the first-ever side to qualify from their group after losing their first three games.
Needing a win to book their place in the second group stage – as was the format back in the day – the Magpies raced off into a 2-0 lead through goals from Bellamy and Hugo Viana, only to let that slip midway through the second half.
Bellamy, however, would come to the rescue, with Kieron Dyer’s shot falling at the feet of the Welshman, who slotted home the winner and sent the Newcastle away end into pandemonium.
3 Inter 2-2 Newcastle United – 2002/03 Champions League
The 2002-03 Champions League season was well and truly a rollercoaster ride for the Magpies, with Newcastle’s famous trip to the San Siro providing yet another classic for the Toon Army – albeit they will have felt hard done by after the final whistle.
Needing a win to realistically stay in the tournament, the Magpies took a staggering 12,000 fans to Milan. Toon legend Alan Shearer repaid the faith of the fans by scoring two goals either side of half-time, though his brace was cancelled out by goals from Christian Vieri and Ivan Cordoba.
Despite the Inter side including the likes of Fabio Cannavaro and Javier Zanetti, Newcastle were largely the better team throughout and could have deemed themselves unlucky not to have left Italian soil without the three points.
2 Ujpest 2-3 Newcastle United – 1968/69 Inter-Cities Fairs Cup
Newcastle’s only European trophy to date was secured following the Magpies’ clash with Hungarian outfit Ujpest came way back in the 1960s – days when finals used to be played across two legs.
The Fairs Cup was a predecessor to the UEFA Cup and Europa League, and the Toon’s triumph remains their most recent taste of major silverware.
A Newcastle side including the likes of Bob Moncur and Wyn Davies soared into a 3-0 lead after the first game, going on to comfortably lift the trophy after a 3-2 second-leg victory in Budapest.
1 Newcastle United 3-2 Barcelona – 1997/98 Champions League
Newcastle’s famous win over Spanish giants FC Barcelona has to be the best of the bunch when it comes to European nights at St James’ Park.
Back in 1997, Kenny Dalglish’s side played host to a legendary Barcelona side that contained the likes of Rivaldo, Luis Figo and Luis Enrique.
The Magpies, however, came out on top thanks to a sublime hat-trick from Faustino Asprilla. The Colombian’s 49-minute hat-trick sailed the Toon Army into a shock 3-0 lead, with Barcelona eventually fighting back with two goals of their own through Enrique and Figo.