Newcastle United are about to play **Champions League**football for the second time in the last three seasons. But do not let anyone dismiss the meaning of these moments. It has been an uphill battle to repay their fervent followers in the North-East, and there are already a bank of emotional experiences from their few forays into European football to make fans believe something special could happen.
1997/98: Tino Asprilla adorns the first foray into Europe
The heyday for the Toon before their exploits under Eddie Howe happened at the turn of the century. The story sounds familiar to those who have seen the side explode this decade: a fallen giant in the North-East came under the ownership of an ambitious businessman. John Hall held the reins from above, and he entrusted Kevin Keegan to carry the club back towards the top of the English game.
'King Kev', already a darling of the Geordies from his playing days, dragged the team from the Third Division to the brink of Premier League glory. But the burnout was too great, and in the middle of his second attempt to topple Man United, he walked away from the dugout in January 1997.
Kenny Dalglish continued the charge, stabilising the side to seal second spot in the standings. The reward was the right to fight for a place in the reformatted Champions League, and with a playoff victory over Dinamo Zagreb, the Toon were on the biggest European stage for the first time ever.
The opening act would involve a clash with Barcelonaat St.James' Park that might still be the most memorable result in their history. Tino Asprilla attacked two crosses with venom after putting away a penalty to send his side three goals ahead inside the first 50 minutes of the match. Pure pandemonium.
Luis Enrique and Luis Figo cut down the deficit, but the Toon were triumphant by the final whistle.
That would be as good as things got for the debutants. Newcastle rescued a 2-2 draw away at Dynamo Kyiv before suffering three straight defeats that dumped them out of the tournament.
A 2-0 victory against the Ukrainian club saved the side from finishing at the bottom of Group C. That misfortune would go to the Blaugrana, but who knew when the Toon would next grace this stage.
It would only be another five years before Newcastle returned to the competition. The club produced a string of mid-table finishes before a top four finish in 2002 was enough to be in the picture for a place in Europe. A comfortable 5-0 third round playoff victory over Željezničar wrapped up qualification.
**Dynamo Kyiv**welcomed them back to the tournament with a 2-0 defeat for the Toon in Ukraine. Then came a 1-0 loss to **Feyenoord**and a 2-0 victory for Juventus, who would go on to be the finalists that year. Three fixtures and no points meant that the Geordies faced an early elimination.
But they would bounce back emphatically. Andy Griffin got the only goal of the game in a 1-0 win against the Old Lady. Then, main marksman Alan Shearer slotted his first goal in the group stage to earn all three points against Kyiv in a possible shootout to settle who would finish second in the table.
The stage was set for the completion of the comeback in the Netherlands. **Juventus**travelled to Ukraine and beat Kyiv, while a last gasp winner from Craig Bellamy got Newcastle over the line against Feyenoord. For the first time, they had reached the next phase of the Champions League.
These were the days of a secondary group stage, and it was here that their journey would finish. Newcastle still made many memories in this phase, beating an asset-stripped Bayer Leverkusen home and away 3-1, with a hat-trick for their talismanic striker in the first half against Die Werkself.
They even walked away from **San Siro**with a 2-2 draw. But Inter Milan and **Barcelona**were too strong for the Geordies, and these two European giants grabbed the two spots for the final eight.
2023/24: Injustice undermines a magical moment
The Toon then went through the depths of despair under Mike Ashley. The bailout arrived through a Saudi-backed consortium in 2021, and Howe was the man charged with reviving their fortunes.
He wasted no time. Howe steered the side into the safety of mid-table in 2022, and after his first full season, he had secured a top four finish. Newcastle would feature in the so-called 'Group of Death' with AC Milan, Paris Saint-Germain, and Borussia Dortmund as their fellow competitors.
They would walk away from San Sirowith a point again, but this 0-0 draw was more uncomfortable than Howe would have liked. A reunion with Enrique awaited in Tyneside as St.James' Park prepared for one of its biggest nights this century. The night would exceed all of their expectations.
Kylian Mbappe and Ousmane Dembele paled into the background on a night where Newcastle overran the PSG midfield. The Geordies ran riot with a 4-1 victory that had their faithful dreaming. Even after back-to-back defeats against Borussia Dortmund, qualification was still in their hands.
It was not a straightforward task. But the toughest part of the path to the Round of 16, a trip to Paris, was on the right route with a go-ahead goal from Alexander Isak. The Toon remained in front until injury time in the second half as a handball from Tino Livramento caught the attention of VAR.
The defender could not have reasonably reacted to a cross from Dembele, but that did not matter to the officials. Mbappe scored from the spot, and suddenly, the Toon teetered on the edge once more.
Several permutations needed to go their way to book a spot in the knockout stages, but Howe's men had the perfect stage to succeed. St. James' Park roared at the sight of a strike from **Joelinton**as Newcastle went 1-0 up against AC Milan. However, the second goal never arrived, and in injury time, the Rossoneri had put the nail in the coffin with a winning goal from Samuel Chukwueze.
Supporters still seethe about that night in Paris. Now, the team has the chance to rewrite the story.