If Newcastle are to make it into the second phase they will have to go through the back door, but it is a route they clearly do not mind taking. Seemingly devoid of any hope just a week ago, their lingering chances were revitalised last night by a hugely impressive second-half recovery that means they may yet become the first side in the competition's history to qualify after losing their opening three games.
Bobby Robson's renascent side will take on Feyenoord in a fortnight with renewed optimism after the goals from Gary Speed and Alan Shearer that inspired this comeback against a Dynamo Kiev side that might now be eliminated if they lose their final game against Juventus.
At times last night, however, the pressure felt intolerable, and perhaps that was the most feasible explanation for Newcastle's laboured start. Rather than the expected onslaught, it was a scruffy type of first half, with the home side attacking only spasmodically and, deprived of Craig Bellamy, over-reliant on high balls to Alan Shearer and Shola Ameobi.
What little encouragement there was came from the fact that, however subdued Newcastle appeared in this period and however isolated Shearer seemed without Bellamy, there were still occasions when they threatened to expose the opposing defence.
Gary Speed will consider he should have applied a crisper finish to Nolberto Solano's free-kick and, in the most illuminating move of an otherwise prosaic 45 minutes, Laurent Robert drifted between two defenders before whipping in a cross that picked out Ameobi only for his header to ricochet off the back of Goran Gavrancic.
With seven points from their opening four games, Kiev's policy was one of unashamed conservatism. Only once, indeed, did the 22-time Ukraine champions threaten with any real menace during the first half.
Yet, within 90 seconds of the restart, they had broken upfield to score a classy goal. Georgi Peev carried the ball forward, drifting in from the right before releasing a smart pass inside Nikos Dabizas, a first-half substitute for the hamstrung Titus Bramble, for the alert Maxim Shatskikh to run clear. The striker sent an emphatic, rising shot beyond Steve Harper.
But when they shook their heads clear, Newcastle's riposte was impressive, prompting their best period of the match and two goals in the space of 11 minutes.
Just before the hour, the first glimmer of hope was proffered. Solano swung over a corner from the right for Speed, hurtling into the penalty area, to send in a diving header that was fumbled by Vitalii Reva, who was unable to keep it out despite getting both hands to the ball.
Suddenly Newcastle were in the ascendancy and, midway through the second half, the decibels were cranked up again through a decision by Jose Omar Losantos, the fourth official who replaced the referee Juan Fernandez Martin at half-time because he had tweaked a hamstring.
As Shearer tried to reach a floated ball from Dabizas, Andrii Husin seemed to tug him by the arm. Shearer put away the penalty for his first Champions League goal for Newcastle.
NEWCASTLE: Harper, Griffin, O'Brien (Bernard 45), Bramble (Dabizas 27), Hughes, Solano (Dyer 82), Speed, Jenas, Robert, Shearer, Ameobi. Subs Not Used: Given, Acuna, LuaLua, Viana. Booked: Ameobi. Goals: Speed 58, Shearer 69 pen.
DYNAMO KIEV: Reva, Ghioane, Husin, Gavrancic, Dmytrulin, Leko (Rincon 71), Peev, Belkevich, El Kaddouri (Cernat 77), Nesmachnyi, Shatskikh. Subs Not Used: Shovkovskiy, Melashchenko, Leandro, Bodnar, Sablic. Booked: Husin. Goals: Shatskikh 47.
Referee: J Fernandez Marin (Spain;
J Omar Losantos, Spain, h-t).
