As Alan Shearer wheeled away, arm aloft in typical model, to have a good time one more Newcastle United aim, one thing felt totally different.
On the San Siro in March 2003, Shearer had simply scored his second to place Sir Bobby Robson’s Magpies in entrance in opposition to Inter Milan within the Champions League, earlier than Ivan Cordoba levelled minutes later.
Newcastle had battled arduous throughout two group phases in that marketing campaign to point out they have been equals to Juventus, Inter and Robson’s former membership Barcelona.
Although they might in the end fail to progress additional, drawing 2-2 with an elite aspect in an iconic stadium created recollections that may final a lifetime.
‘An iconic second’
On Tuesday, Newcastle return to face AC Milan of their first Champions League look for 20 years, evoking all these recollections once more.
“What a sport,” former defender Steven Caldwell tells BBC Sport. “The San Siro is the stadium you consider when you grew up watching Italia 90; it’s the stadium of my technology.
“To see what it was like was wonderful. It was an iconic second for a soccer membership that I really like.
“It was a correct soccer match; there was quite a bit on the road, excessive stakes, in opposition to a world-class workforce. For us to compete was so unbelievable, we have been so shut, proper in it, it may have gone both manner.”
By the point Newcastle made it to Milan, that they had greater than left their mark within the competitors, turning into the primary workforce to lose their first three group video games in opposition to Dynamo Kyiv, Feyenoord and Juventus and nonetheless progress, with well-known wins in opposition to all three within the reverse fixtures.
Again then, there have been two group phases within the Champions League. And as they went to San Siro, Newcastle wanted a victory as, after a heavy defeat by Inter within the first sport, a sobering loss to Barcelona within the Nou Camp rain had adopted earlier than successive wins over Bayer Leverkusen.
The draw was compounded by one other loss to Barcelona at residence and the dream ended, however the evening in Italy has change into well-known for the ambiance than the soccer.
“The San Siro had an aura; it was an iconic, legendary place. Watching Newcastle play there was not on the horizon,” Matthew Philpotts, author for the True Religion Fanzine, says.
“It was concerning the expertise as a lot because the end result. Shearer’s aim in entrance of the away finish is etched on the reminiscence. It appeared like everybody you knew was in Milan. The sheer variety of followers was spectacular.”
‘The squad was distinctive, flamable and troublesome to play in opposition to’
Robson had masterminded a meteoric rise after changing Ruud Gullit as supervisor in September 1999. The Dutchman’s reign had ended after a dispute with Shearer reached boiling level, the supervisor dropping the striker for a derby defeat by Sunderland, and the membership have been heading into the abyss.
However the squad Robson constructed, mixing youthful exuberance with the expertise he inherited, was as unpredictable because it was gifted. They completed fourth in 2002.
“We had plenty of actually energetic gamers like Jermaine Jenas, Kieron Dyer, Craig Bellamy and Laurent Robert,” Caldwell recollects. “The steadiness of that with Alan [Shearer], Shay [Given], Gary [Speed], was actually distinctive and it made us troublesome to play in opposition to.
“That squad was flamable. It wasn’t the identical type of folks; it was arduous to maintain everybody on monitor and Bobby did that excellently.”
The pace of the turnaround, pushed by the sheer drive of County Durham-born Robson’s persona and fervour for his membership, initially caught up with Newcastle.
After making mild work of Bosnian aspect Zeljeznicar Sarajevo within the qualifiers, a 2-0 defeat in Kyiv was compounded by a retrospective ban for Bellamy, earlier than they have been crushed at residence by Feyenoord and, maybe unluckily after a Shearer header was wrongly dominated offside, Juventus away.
Victory over the Previous Woman at St James’ Park re-lit the hearth. Defender Andy Griffin was the unlikely hero, serving to Newcastle win by a single aim, with a bit of assist from a deflection off goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon.
“Individuals will bear in mind me for that aim and that sport. Whether or not I scored the aim or not, it would not matter,” Griffin asserts. “The very fact I began in opposition to Juventus, performed 90 minutes and was concerned within the aim and a win, was ok.
“[Buffon] made a little bit of a blunder. We managed to maintain a clear sheet; folks discuss concerning the aim, however I put in an excellent sort out proper on the finish when somebody was by means of on aim. I virtually delight myself on that versus the aim.”
‘It was an emotional rollercoaster’
Shearer impressed them at residence to Kyiv nevertheless it was the match away at Feyenoord which went down in folklore. Newcastle have been 2-0 up because of Bellamy, again from his ban, and Hugo Viana earlier than the Dutch aspect hit again rapidly to stage. Needing a aim to have any probability of development, Bellamy scored in stoppage time to ship all people wild.
“It was loopy,” Caldwell recollects. “It isn’t usually you lose your self and change into like a fan. We have been so engrossed within the sport.”
“It was very a lot an emotional rollercoaster,” provides Griffin. “The ultimate whistle went and our celebrations needed to be placed on maintain as a result of we needed to look forward to the end result from Kyiv. Juventus beat Kyiv, which meant we certified for the second group part.
“We’re all within the altering room, singing ‘we’re Champions League’ and dancing round, completely having fun with the second. It was the most effective video games and highest highs I skilled.”
Bellamy would get despatched off within the defeat at residence by Inter, incurring one other ban. No one embodied the troublesome nature of that squad extra, however Robson was the person to get one of the best from him when it mattered.
“Bellamy was a feisty little character,” chief scout Charlie Woods, says. “That was what made him so good. His contribution to the workforce was enormous.
“Bobby needed Shearer to play between the strains of the 18-yard field and he’d get Dyer and Bellamy to make runs in behind and get balls into the field. Alan was an important finisher.
“Bobby’s man administration was all the time nice. He knew when to have a go and when to place his arm round folks when it was vital. He handled Bellamy beautifully.”
For 20 years, Robson’s workforce has been immortalised for his or her exploits, however the anticipation on Tyneside as Eddie Howe’s males look to emulate them is palpable.