Bellamy bags brace as Magpies hit top gear

Newcastle 5 NAC Breda 0

Craig Bellamy's first-half double his first goals for the club since March 22 put them in the driving seat before Titus Bramble, Alan Shearer and substitute Darren Ambrose completed the rout.

The 24-year-old Welsh international, who had not scored in 10 games for his club , struck with a fine lob on 31 minutes and then sidefooted home six minutes later to put Sir Bobby Robson's side in the driving seat.

Robson made a tactical alteration by asking Kieron Dyer to play wide on the right with Jenas partnering Gary Speed in the middle.

But it was from the opposite flank that the first half-chance arrived on three minutes.

Robert exchanged passes with full-back Olivier Bernard before sending in a cross which Breda captain Rob Penders had to hack away.

The visitors, and Diba in particular, were far from overawed by the task ahead of them, and Hungarian full-back Csaba Feher warmed Shay Given's hands with a well-struck 12th-minute drive after good work by the striker ahead of him.

Bosnian defender Nebojsa Gudelj was booked by referee Nikolay Ivanov for a trip on Dyer and keeper Gabor Babos had to tip the ball over after Penders deflected Hughes' free-kick towards his own goal.

The pressure was mounting early and Babos only just managed to prevent Robert from scoring direct from an inswinging corner on 20 minutes .

Bellamy then turned smartly to hit a first-time half-volley which the keeper did well to claw away and the confidence was returning to Newcastle.

And the direct approach paid dividends 14 minutes before the break.

Alan Shearer climbed high above Mark Schenning to flick the ball on for Bellamy, who calmly drew Babos before lobbing him to end his bad spell in front of goal.

Six minutes later it was to get even better for the Welshman.

Dyer powered forward and timed his pass into Robert's run to perfection, but just as it looked as though the winger would pull the trigger himself, he squared the ball to Bellamy, who sidefooted into the empty net.

United received a wake-up call five minutes before the break when Given had to get down to keep out Johan Elmander's shot and Tamas Peto forced the Irishman into a spectacular injury-time stop, but Robert, twice, and Bellamy both tested Babos as the home side turned the screw.

United went straight back on to the offensive as the second half got underway and they almost extended their lead within two minutes of the restart.

Schenning's clearance hit team-mate Gudelj and rebounded to Bellamy eight yards out.

However, although the striker reacted swiftly to hook the ball over the stranded Babos, he was denied a hat-trick by the crossbar.

Penders was then forced to concede another corner after Bernard played Robert into space down the left.

And when the French winger drove the corner in to the near post, Bramble was there to power an unstoppable header past the hapless Babos and claim his first goal for the club.

Hughes got in on the act six minutes later when he surged into space down the right and dummied substitute Marcel Koning before crossing towards Shearer.

However Babos got there first to deny the former England striker a header at goal.

However, Shearer soon joined the scoring party when he lashed home from just outside the area and Ambrose got his debut goal in the dying stages.

NEWCASTLE: Given, Hughes, O'Brien, Bramble, Bernard, Jenas, Dyer, Speed, Robert, Shearer, Bellamy.

NAC: Babos, Feher, Schenning, Penders, Gudelj, Slot, Peto, Stefano Seedorf, Engelaar, Diba, Elmander.