Champions' League: In a stadium littered with thousands of empty seats due to exorbitant ticket prices, Newcastle United again found out the Champions League is a competition in which the price of success and failure is equally high.
It cost Newcastle a lot of sweat last season to get back into Europe but after the 2-0 defeat at Dynamo Kiev last Wednesday this result leaves their chance of qualifying for the second stage well in the red.
A defensive lapse in the fourth minute proved expensive, allowing Sebastien Pardo a free volley, and though Newcastle created many opportunities before and after that, Feyenoord goalkeeper Edwin Zoetebier made several good saves.
When not doing so Laurent Robert, Craig Bellamy and his replacement Lomana Lua Lua wasted their moment. It made for a night of frustration for Bobby Robson and if Newcastle are to do anything in the group they must win in Turin against Juventus next Tuesday.
In an extraordinary opening couple of minutes Newcastle could have been three up but instead found themselves one down. With Alan Shearer looking sharp from the first touch, playing Craig Bellamy in for a diagonal drive after about 10 seconds, Newcastle had begun at their usual speed - full throttle.
Thirty seconds later Kieron Dyer broke down the right and almost created a goal for Bellamy and in the third minute Nolberto Solano's cross to the far post left Laurent Robert staring at an enticing volley. But the Frenchman fluffed his effort.
Causing panic in the Newcastle defence is hardly the most difficult thing in the world and Pierre Van Hooijdonk's simple header did just that. First the right-back Andy Griffin skied his connection and when the ball came down, under no pressure, Andy O'Brien put the meekest of headers to the unmarked Pardo. Pardo had work to do from the edge of the Newcastle area but his magnificently struck, dipping left-foot volley past Shay Given did it.
Four minutes later it should have been 2-0 when Thomas Buffel strode away from Nikos Dabizas and placed a clipped shot the wrong side of Given's post. Less than two minutes after that Paul Bosvelt missed with a free header from six yards.
Newcastle threatened when they got forward and it required a goalline slide from Brett Emerton to prevent Bellamy grabbing an equaliser, while Shearer had a volley palmed away by Zoetebier four minutes before half-time. Zoetebier did that again, from Shearer, soon after the re-start. When Bellamy hit the crossbar in the 76th minute it showed just how slender the lead was. But it was enough.
Guardian Services
NEWCASTLE: Given, Griffin, O'Brien, Dabizas, Hughes, Solano, Dyer, Speed, Robert, Shearer, Bellamy (LuaLua 76). Subs Not Used: Harper, Jenas, Bramble, Ameobi, Bernard, Viana.
FEYENOORD: Zoetebier, Emerton, Van Wonderen, Paauwe, Rzasa, Song, Bosvelt, Ono, Pardo (Lurling 82), Van Hooijdonk, Buffel. Subs Not Used: Gyan, Kalou, Bombarda, De Haan, Van Persie, Lodewijks. Booked: Bosvelt, Ono, Van Wonderen. Goals: Pardo 4.
Referee: C Colombo (France).
