Barcelona ruin Robson's return

Barcelona 3 Newcastle 1

Newcastle became Barcelona’s record 10th consecutive Champions League victims as Sir Bobby Robson’s Nou Camp return ended in defeat.

But the 69-year former Barca boss, who had walked into the stadium he knows so well with a lump in his throat, left it with his head held high after a side shorn of the services of suspended duo Alan Shearer and Craig Bellamy briefly threatened to upset the odds and never gave up hope of a remarkable comeback.

Goals from Dani, Patrick Kluivert and Thiago Motta were more than enough to give the Spaniards the points and they might have won even more handsomely.

But Shola Ameobi, who cancelled out Dani’s seventh-minute strike within 17 minutes, could have claimed a hat-trick but for the efforts of keeper Roberto Bonano and Juan Riquelme’s goal-line clearance.

The Catalan side, who have not won any of their last four Primera Liga games, were only very briefly in trouble either side of half-time as Marc Overmars caused Andy Griffin all kinds of problems down the United right, with Riquelme giving Kluivert every opportunity to test keeper Shay Given.

But the Magpies never gave up hope as Ameobi and Lomana LuaLua gave spirited displays in a fledgling frontline pairing which could have paid even greater dividends than it did.

Their efforts and those of their team-mates were applauded fittingly by United supporters who had remained in Spain for an extra 24 hours on the final whistle as pride, if not the need to start the points total ticking over before the Champions League break, was satisfied.

Robson sent out his side into a stadium he had described as a cathedral of emotions in the run-up to the game, but exactly which emotions were furrowing his brow in the opening minutes can only be imagined.

Barca tore out of the blocks and Kluivert had already squandered a golden opportunity when Dani spared his blushes with an expert finish.

With Griffin finding himself with the nightmare prospect of trying to keep flying Dutchman Overmars quiet down the Newcastle right, it was Aaron Hughes who was detailed to keep an eye on the Spanish international.

But the Irishman was left for dead when Xavi picked out his team-mate at the far post with seven minutes gone.

Hughes was chasing shadows as the striker raced away from him and dispatched a well-placed volley past Given and into the far corner to condemn Robson’s side to yet another early reverse.

But to their credit, United did not run up the white flag, and with the Spaniards losing both Michael Reiziger and Phillip Cocu through injury in quick succession, they found a foothold in the game.

There may have been only around a quarter of the 4,200 Magpies supporters who initially made the trip to Catalonia inside the Nou Camp 24 hours after the game was initially expected to kick-off, but they made the noise of thousands when, with 24 minutes gone, their side got themselves back on level terms.

Nolberto Solano, who was finding plenty of space on the right, cut inside and squared for Kieron Dyer, who in turn rolled the ball into Ameobi’s path.

The Nigerian-born striker may not have Shearer’s experience, but the United skipper could hardly have finished any better, Ameobi sending an inch-perfect shot inside Bonano’s far post.

The superb Overmars warmed Given’s hands with a 30-yard piledriver, but remarkably, it was the visitors who were starting to get on top.

Substitute Gaizka Mendieta had to track back to rescue Frank de Boer after Dyer had skipped past him wide on the right and Bonano dived full length to palm away a Solano shot after Ameobi had sucked in the Barca cover.

But inevitably, it was Overmars who redressed the balance 10 minutes before the break when he mesmerised Griffin once again before squaring for Kluivert to atone for his earlier error with an accomplished left-foot finish.

The visitors returned after half-time determined to have a real go, with 21-year-old Ameobi leading the fight.

He powered a 52nd-minute header a foot wide from a Solano cross and then saw an even better effort hacked off the line by Riquelme as the travelling supporters dared to believe that the cause was not lost.

But just as their hopes were raised, they were torn apart when midfielder Motta got the slightest of touches on a Riquelme corner to deflect the ball over the line despite Dyer’s best efforts on the far post.

An open game became even more so as the visitors went for broke and their opponents attempted to cement victory, and although Kluivert twice went desperately close, it was Ameobi who forced the best out of Bonano after surging through the heart of the Barca defence and letting fly with 20 minutes remaining.

Gary Speed powered a header wide from a Laurent Robert corner, but Carles Puyol and Kluivert went close to extending their side’s lead as the second ticked away to the final whistle.