Newcastle United: Top five European matches in club history
By Roy Emanuel
1994-95 UEFA Cup Second Round first leg (Newcastle United 3 – Athletic Bilbao 2)
The 1990s were a time of great change for Newcastle United, and those changes came in various ways. Kevin Keegan helped return the Magpies to the top flight, and he soon had the club back in Europe as well.
The wait had been long, as their last appearance was in the 1977-78 UEFA Cup. The Toon dominated Belgium’s Royal Antwerp in the First Round, setting up an intriguing encounter with La Liga side Athletic Bilbao.
One of only three clubs never to be relegated from the Spanish first division (Barcelona and Real Madrid being the others), Los Leones offered a consistently talented team then just as they do now. But United were ready for a battle.
The home side grabbed control of the match early, and kept the pressure on the opposing defence. Ruel Fox and Peter Beardsley opened the scoring in the first half, with Andy Cole adding a third.
Two late goals would ultimately undermine what had been done. Newcastle won the first leg 3-2, and a 1-0 loss in Spain put them out on away goals. There was disappointment in elimination, as a wonderful display in the first leg could have produced so much more.
But to a generation that had waited for times like these, that evening will forever represent a shift in the club’s status.